Cork Midsummer Festival 2015
Two Weekends: 12th-14th & 19th-21st June 2015
Await the Arts Explosion
An arts explosion will take place across Cork city this June with over 40 events, 95 performances, 25 venues and over 40,000 people expected to join us for a magical Midsummer experience.
The Festival this year will feature exciting artists from the fields of music, dance, circus, theatre, opera and visual arts as well as an extensive family programme.
From spectacular fire shows in Elizabeth Fort to 160th Anniversary celebrations in the Cork Opera House, Picnic in the Park to an unforgettable dawn performance at Blackrock Castle, this years Festival offers a feast for the senses.
Opening the Festival this year are the inimitable Lords of Strut, winners of the 2013 Street Performance World Championships and famed for their 'flash raves'. Two balls of energy, the Lords will host a participatory outdoor flash mob dance experience with other amateur and professional dance artists and local volunteers. They will celebrate the opening of the festival at 1pm on Friday, 12th June. For details on how to get involved in the rehearsal and take part in this one off flash street party, see www.corkmidsummer.com.
Festival favourite reoccurring this year is Picnic in the Park. Fitzgerald's Park will provide the setting for this free day of fun for all the family, which will feature the Lords of Strut, local favourites Dowtcha and internationally renowned street theatre company Whalley Range All Stars, as well as many others.
A new addition to the family programme, coming from the Whalley Range All Stars, is the fantastic PIG. This unique pop up installation features a nine metre long sleeping pig, which will be in place on Emmet Place. An unexpected 10 minute piece of theatre takes place inside the belly of the giant pig, which 10 people at a time can view.
A special feature in this year's programme is Our Table, an event which is set to transform Cork's Oliver Plunkett Street into a one-off outdoor dining room, whereby some of Cork's best-loved eateries, including Les Gourmandises, Isaacs and The Rocket Man, are joining forces to create a three course banquet for 400 guests on Sunday, 14th June.
The world-renowned Beyond from Circa, an Australian circus act (described as 'the rock-stars of the circus world') will make its Irish debut at the festival, showcasing its sublimely surreal work that is delighting audiences everywhere. Blending circus acts with an enchanting spectacle of giant rabbit heads, Rubik's cubes and blindfolds, Beyond is set to a mix of showtunes, ballads and electronica and will take place in the Everyman Theatre on 13th and 14th of June.
The closing ceremony for the festival will take place on June 21st, the summer solstice, in Elizabeth Fort and will showcase the skills of Bold as Brass. With over 100 brass, saxophone and percussion players, the outdoor performance will provide a fitting close to the magic and melodrama of the Cork Midsummer Festival.
Cork Midsummer Festival is proudly supported by the Arts Council, Cork City Council and Fáilte Ireland and by media partners 96FM, the Irish Examiner and RTÉ Supporting the Arts.
Tickets are available now for all events, full details of which are available on our website www.corkmidsummer.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter using #CorkArtsExplosion.
