High-energy outdoor performances, captivating visual arts, cosy storytimes and a lively trad music seisiún… there’s no shortage of free family fun in store at this year’s Baboró festival, which takes place in Galway from Friday 14 October until Sunday 23 October.
Check out our guide to free family events here, or browse free event listings to see what’s on.
Free Show for Early Years
On-Off
When: Friday 21 October, 2.30pm, 4.30pm, Saturday 22 October 10.30am, 12.30pm
Where: Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane
Suitable for ages 2 -5
Free, but booking is required
On-Off is a tribute to the children’s amazement at the behaviour of light and to their interest in controlling it and its intensity through the use of switches. It is a game that helps them overcome their fear of the dark.
Explore Visual Arts Exhibitions
Widden Ar Geels
When: Saturday 15 October - Saturday 29 October
Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 17.00; Sunday 11.00 - 17.00
Where: Galway Arts Centre, Dominick Street
Suitable for all ages
No booking required
Immerse yourself in Traveller stories of vixens, owls and horses who live alongside humans as guides, protectors, friends and foes, while spirits, giants and fairies blur the lines between this world and the otherworld.
Artist Leanne McDonagh and poet Oein DeBhairduin invite us to celebrate the stories and oral traditions of the Irish Traveller community, creating an inclusive space for all to enjoy the magic and wisdom imbued in the craft and stories of the Mincéirí.
Mincéir Flower Making
Free, creative workshop presented in association with Widden Ar Geels exhibition
When: Saturday 22 October, 3pm
Where: Ballybane Library
Ages 6+
No booking required
Maggie McDonagh passes on the skill of traditional Mincéir flower making as it was passed on to her. Join her as she guides you through the making of these delicate and beautiful paper flowers using traditional Mincéir craft.
FOLD
When: Saturday 15 - Sunday 16 October, Tuesday 18 October, Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 October
Opening Hours: Saturday - Sunday 11.00 - 17.00; Tuesday & Thursday - Friday 13.00 - 17.00
Where: Engage Art Studio, Lower Salthill
Suitable for ages 2-8
No booking required
FOLD by artist Lucy Hill explores ideas of openness, relationships, colour, form and line, language development, movement, feeling, and seeing, toward ever more expansive yet inclusive forms of possibility.
Free Outdoor Performances in Galway City & Ros Muc
Tiny Mutiny/An Ceannairc Beag Bídeach
Duration: 45 minutes
Suitable for ages 5+
No booking required
Ros Muc Performance
When: Sat 15 October 18.30
Where: Ionad Cultúrtha an Phiarsaigh, Ros Muc
Galway City Performance
When: Sat 22 October 18.30
Where: Spanish Arch, Galway City
The children of Galway make a stand – join the rebellion!
As part of this year's Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, two youth ensembles from Rosmuc and Galway City proclaim the need for a child-led cultural space in the West of Ireland. Working with local artists, each group will share their vision through boisterous protest performances accompanied by colourful banners, rebellious songs and digital projections. It's A Tiny Mutiny!
By Jojo Hynes, Midie Corcoran, Atmos Collective, Róisín Seoighe & Laura Angell
UP-CLOSE
When: Saturday 22 October 12.00 & 14.00
Where: **Venue change** due to the weather, this performance will now take place in Eyre Square Shopping Centre, on the ground floor adjacent to JD Sports [instead of the Spanish Arch]
Duration: 25 minutes
No booking required
Suitable for ages 7+
A highly physical dance show blending contemporary and street dance styles and peppered with humour, UP-CLOSE is about trusting each other, building resilience together, and letting go of the past.
No booking or tickets are required for this event. Audiences are advised to dress for the weather and enjoy the show!
By Monica Muñoz Dance
Tune in to an Audio Adventure!
The Little Robber Girl
Available to listen from www.baboro.ie between 14 and 23 October
Duration: 80 min in total (5 episodes)
No booking required
Suitable for ages 7-12
Right and wrong are not so straightforward for Mattie - a thief and trickster raised among sea-faring bandits. She’s not one to do what she is told, but she is a brave soul and a loyal daughter, and this time it’s up to her to come to her family’s rescue.
Join Mattie, her little dog Arthur, and her new friend Finn in an exciting audio drama, as they go in search of Mattie’s missing Mammy and return with much more than buried treasure.
By BrokenCrow
Sound Secrets
Available to listen from www.baboro.ie 14-23 October
Duration: 40 min in total (5 videos)
No booking required
Suitable for ages 7-12
Dive into the world of radio drama with Moonfish Theatre and Baboró International Arts Festival for Children. Learn how to make your own radio plays, using objects you'd find in your house!
Sound Secrets is a series of 5 short videos suitable for the classroom or any budding creatives at home.
By Moonfish Theatre
Storytelling Events to Enjoy
I Want to Speak Ukrainian
When: Saturday 15 October, 15.00
Where: Ballybane Library
Duration: 60 minutes
Book your free ticket here
Suitable for ages 8+
Bláithín Breathnach and Lindsay Myers welcome Ukrainian friends to Galway with I Want to Speak Ukrainian.
Hear readings in English, Ukrainian and Irish, learn how to draw the story’s characters and learn some words in a new language.
Storytime with Charlie Byrne's Bookshop
When: Saturday 15 October 11.00 & Saturday 22 October 11.00
Where: Charlie Byrne's Bookshop
Duration: 60 minutes
No booking required
Suitable for all ages
Join Meabh for an even bigger and better storytime in The Cornstore outside Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Get Your Toes Tapping at Seisiún na nÓg
Seisiún na nÓg
When: Sunday 23 October, 14.30
Where: Áras na nGael, Dominick St.
Duration: 90 minutes
No booking required
Suitable for all ages
Join us for an open traditional music session where children and adults play together in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, led by teachers Liz Coleman and Páidín Breathnach. We welcome all instruments, as well as singers and dancers. All you need to bring is your instrument and cúpla focal!
