From the spark of imagination in a child’s eyes to the energy of a theatre buzzing with laughter, we had the most magical time at Baboró’s 28th festival last year! The excitement for 2025 is already building, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the highlights from 2024.

Over 10 days, an audience of almost 16,000 children, families and schools attended over 50 shows, exhibitions and workshops in venues throughout the city and county.

But Baboró is not just about delivering a world-class international festival. We also run artistic projects for children and artist support programmes all year. In 2024, over 300 children took part in year-round programmes with Baboró, including Creative Schools, Cruinniú na nÓg, the Baboró Children’s Panel and The Wonder Collective and Creating Space projects.

Children and Community

While the festival is the heart of our work for children and we do all we can to remove barriers to attendance, we know that it is not accessible for everyone. Our year-round activities continue to expand our reach into the wider community. These activities include robust arts engagement programmes, community-building initiatives and new artistic projects with our partners to ensure children can exercise their right to a rich cultural life.

Artist Development

Baboró has a long history of supporting creatives making work for children - whether they’re just getting curious about work for young audiences or have been creating it for years. Through initiatives like BABEL, Festival Connections, Breaking Ground and Artists in Residence programmes, Baboró has provided mentorship, bursaries and networking opportunities that have directly supported 39 artists this year.

Festival

Baboró champions every child’s right to experience and participate in the creative arts. We strive to present a festival programme where children see themselves and their stories reflected, where they see opportunities to one day grace those same stages and gallery walls.

Ensuring access for all is central to our festival delivery. Baboró prioritises inclusivity by working to remove barriers, both real and perceived, so that every child feels welcome.

We substantially subsidise our ticket prices and offer free tickets to teachers, SNAs and community groups. We offer free events for schools and families and bring work directly into schools and libraries.