Our festival programme has dedicated performances for schools and groups with subsidised tickets for students, and free tickets for teachers and SNAs. We also provide a dedicated Schools Box Office who assists schools, groups and teachers with their booking and festival experience.
Preparing Your Students for the Festival
Please find information to help you plan your visit here, including important bus drop-off guidelines: 2023 Teacher Welcome Pack
Please share the following information with your class before attending the festival:
Preparing for Your Visit to Baboró 2023
Ag Ullmhú do Chuairt ar Baboró 2023
About the Bus Subsidy
Click on the "Bus Subsidy Scheme" tab below for information about the bus subsidy, and to download the application form.
2023 School Booking Form
Most school day performances for Baboró 2023 are now fully booked. The deadline to submit the schools booking form was Friday 8 September at midnight. If you would like to be added to a waitlist, you are welcome to submit a booking request form here but please understand that it may not be possible to allocate your class to an event.
School Box Office Contact
Email: schools@baboro.ie
Phone: 091 532 985
Sign up to our newsletter and select "Schools and Educators" to receive the online booking form, box office information, and programme announcements via email.
Baboró has been supported by local businesses and individuals to help schools with transportation costs. When your booking is confirmed, you will receive details about how to claim back some of your bus hire costs after the festival.
The subsidy is a maximum of €1.25 per child for schools in Galway City and €2 per child for schools outside Galway City, whichever is the lesser amount. We also offer a mileage subsidy for school groups who have their own school transport. A payment of 50 cent per mile is available for schools required to travel more than 2 miles to performances.
How to Apply for the Bus Subsidy
Please pay your own travel costs in full, then send the completed form plus receipt/proof of payment to:
Baboró, 2nd Floor, Augustine Court, Augustine Street, Galway, H91 VXT1.
The 2023 Baboró Bus Subsidy Form is available to download here
Bus subsidies are paid via bank transfer. Please email schools@baboro.ie if your school is unable to receive bank transfers, and we can arrange to post a cheque.
Terms
- In order to help us continue this service and due to limited funds, we kindly ask schools to avail of this offer only where they could not otherwise attend.
- We offer a subsidy up to 50% based on a maximum of €1.25 per child for schools in Galway City and €2 per child for schools outside Galway City, whichever is the lesser amount.
- We also offer a mileage subsidy for school groups who have their own school transport. A payment of 50¢ per mile is available for schools required to travel more than 2 miles to performances.
- Please submit a subsidy form for each return journey.
- Forms must be submitted by the deadline in November
How is the Subsidy Calculated?
Example One:
30 children attend from a school in County Galway. The bus rental costs €95.00.
The following calculations are made: 30 children x €2.00 = €60.00 orBus Rental price of €95.00 x 50% = €47.50. The Bus Subsidy for this school is €47.50.
Example Two:
30 children attend from a Galway County school. The school has its own bus and travels 25 miles to Baboró. The following calculations are made: 20 children x €2.00 = €40.00 or 25 miles x 50¢ = €12.50. The Bus Subsidy is for this school is €12.50.
2023 Bookings are Now Closed
Most school day performances for Baboró 2023 are now fully booked. If you would like to be added to a waitlist, you are welcome to submit a booking request form here but please understand that it may not be possible to allocate your class to an event.
About the Booking Process
Our Schools Box Office allocates events to school groups using an online booking request form. When processing these forms, we take great care to consider groups' preferences, availability, and access needs. The 2023 booking form will be available from Monday 21 August.
1. Check the submission deadlines
Please make note of important deadlines for booking submissions, payment and confirmation.
2. Review the festival programme
This will help you to decide which shows you would like to attend with your class or group. Please pay attention to age and class guidelines to get the most from your Baboró experience. The festival programme will be posted to your school in late August, and available online in early September.
3. Complete the online Schools Booking Form
To book, we ask you complete an online booking request form stating their preferred performances and times. Our schools box office team will reply with a confirmation or offer of alternatives.
While we cannot guarantee that you will receive your first choice event, every effort will be made to accommodate all groups' preferences, availability and needs.
4. Offer and confirmation
We will contact you in mid-September with confirmation of your booking based on your preferences, along with an invoice. Please note that bookings are not considered complete until payment has been received.
Performance Ticket: €6.50
DEIS Performance Ticket: €5.50
Creative Workshops: Free
Online Events: Priced per group
Visual Art & Exhibitions: Free
Teacher and SNA Tickets:
- Schools: 1 free teacher ticket per 10 students
- Pre-Schools: 1 free teacher ticket per 5 students
- Additional Needs Groups: As required
- Before you begin the booking form, you may find it helpful to compile your school's contact information, as well as the name and mobile number of the teacher who will accompany pupils on the day of their visit.
- We ask for 3 preferred shows to get a sense of your students’ interests and enthusiasms. Every effort is made to match each group with one of their preferred shows, but please know that selecting a show on the booking form is not a guarantee that places will be available.
- Booking for a single class (approx. 30 children) means you are more likely to be allocated to your preferred events. We are more than happy to have larger groups, but your allocated show will depend on venue capacity.
- Please use the booking form to clearly communicate which dates and times your group will not be able to attend the festival, such as swimming lessons or other commitments.
- Contact us as soon as possible if the number of children in your group change
If you need to make a change to your booking
Rescheduling may not be possible. Should an unavoidable conflict arise, we will do our best to find another suitable performance for your group. However, due to the volume of bookings we receive, our capacity to rearrange individual group’s schedules is very limited. Many shows are likely to be fully booked and it may not be possible to reallocate your group’s booking later.
If the number of people in your group changes, please let us know as soon as possible so we can amend your booking. Please be aware that we cannot refund tickets after the 11 October payment deadline.
We strive to offer a programme that allows every child equal access to world-class arts for children, regardless of intellectual or physical ability.
Every year Baboró identifies certain shows as suitable for designated special needs schools and groups. Please call Kirsty and Aileen on 091 532 985, or email schools@baboro.ie, to discuss show suitability, venue accessibility, seating, lighting, and any other information that may be relevant to your students' needs.
Week of Monday 21 August: Schools Box Office opens. Programmes posted to schools & online booking form available
Friday 8 September: Booking Deadline. Requests after this date are welcome, but allocation of 1 of your 3 preferred events is greatly reduced.
Week of Monday 18 September: Notification of Allocation. Schools will be notified of their allocation via email with a Baboró schedule and invoice. Please note that it takes one full week to complete the allocations for all groups, so please do not be concerned if another class from your school receives their allocation email before you do.
Wednesday 11 October: Payment Due in Full. Bookings are not considered complete until full payment has been received. Cash is not accepted. Payment methods and bank details will be outlined when you receive your invoice.
Friday 13 October - Sunday 22 October: Baboró 2023
Please put the name of the performance on the board in advance so that children will be able to inform their parents what they are going to see.
Please speak to your class about what to expect when they come to the festival and what is expected of your students for whom this may be their first time visiting a theatre or gallery. Please ensure that you as teachers/SNAs actively engage with the performance/ exhibition/ workshop with your students as a shared experience.
We have noticed that children watching a performance will chat softly about the show amongst themselves, this is an active form of engagement and is not disruptive. It is not necessary to ‘Shhh’ children when they are doing this. However, loud talking or disruptive behaviour is, of course, not permissible and the artists should be respected.
Information for teachers, including bus drop-off information:
2023 Teacher Welcome Pack
Information to share with your students:
Preparing for Your Visit to Baboró 2023
Ag Ullmhú do Chuairt ar Baboró 2023
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