This Sunday will see Galway's city streets erupt in a riot of colour, magic, spectacle, mischief, and wild imagination as Port na bPúcaí, the Macnas Halloween parade, winds it way through town.
The parade begins at 5.30pm with hundreds of Macnas performers gathering outside the front gates of NUI Galway, before moving down University Road, across the Salmon Weir Bridge, turning right at the Town Hall Theatre, moving down St Francis and Eglinton streets, before turning at Brown Thomas to proceed along Shop Street to High Street and Quay Street, before continuing across Wolfe Tone Bridge, and finishing on the Claddagh Quay.
Macnas is advising families coming to see the parade that the best viewing spots for parents and children are on University Road, along Eglinton Street, or near the end of the route as the parade pushes all along the Claddagh Quay.
Macnas is also seeking additional volunteers for key roles in the parade. Email [email protected] to sign up as a steward or a pusher on the day. See also Macnas.com and Facebook.
Bank of Ireland has also been announced as the sponsor for Macnas' ‘Engineers of Imagination’ initiative. The initiative will brings 10 Irish emerging visual artists and creatives - in the areas of costume design, metal sculpting, mask and prop design, large-scale animatronics, set design and painting, and virtual and augmented reality spectacle - to Galway for a month-long mentorship programme, where they will work with experienced Macnas designers and alongside the core Macnas team.
"This is something that Macnas and Bank of Ireland have been working toward over the last 18 months," said Macnas CEO Noeline Kavanagh. "We are looking forward to expanding this programme in future and look forward to the culmination of this project as part of our 2020 visionary epic event."
Brian Carey, head of Bank of Ireland Galway city said: “Bank of Ireland is delighted to support the Macnas ‘Engineers of Imagination’ initiative. We are committed to promoting Ireland’s next generation of visionary designers and makers. The Macnas programme provides a fantastic platform for creative emerging talent."
