Galway Cartoon Festival: What to do this weekend
Galway Cartoon Festival has lots to offer in its sixth year running in the city.
Are you looking for a way to keep out of the Galway rain this Saturday?
Well, Galway Cartoon Festival has some fantastic events to keep you both dry and entertained!
WYLDE Caricatures
This event is taking place on Saturday the 8th of October from 11 am to 1 pm in WYLDE on Forster St. It is free and open to the public. Willy Brennan, the festival’s manager told Galway Pulse that it is for “anyone who wants to come in and have a cup of coffee and have their portrait done”.
Top caricature artists from all over the world including, Tim Leatherbarrow, Dean Patterson, Hunt Emerson, Richard Chapman, and Fabrice Matray will be at the event to draw you!
French artist Fabrice Matray has worked with brands such as McDonald’s and Adidas. He will be hosting another event on Saturday at 4 pm.
The event, “Drawing with Fabrice Matray”, will take place in the Galway Mechanics Institute.
Town Hall Theatre Exhibition
This exhibition by artist Jim Cogan will be running up until Sunday, and it’s not to be missed. It is also open to the public and free.
Jim Cogan is a prominent Irish cartoonist working with both The Sunday Independent and The Irish Farmer’s Journal. Some of his most notable work is with satirical magazine The Phoenix, as he designs the cover for the annual.
An International Festival
The festival aims to be international in its outlook and it’s fair to say they have already achieved that this year.
“The opening was last Friday and we’d a lot of big cartoonists at that, Steve Bell who’s a very big cartoonist in the UK, and a very well know cartoonist from the states, Liza Donnelly who primarily works for the New Yorker,” Willy said.
A Growing Festival
Willy explained how the festival has grown from its humble beginnings:
“It started 6 years ago in 2017, with two local cartoonists Richard Chapman from Galway and Allan Cavanagh. It started very small with just two exhibitions in the Town Hall Theatre and the other in The Blackgate Cultural Centre, which is closed now, unfortunately.”
“This year we’re a lot bigger with eleven exhibitions going up and lots of visiting cartoonists,” he said.
This week has already had a lot to offer and more set for the weekend.
“It’s been such a whirlwind this week and it’s been great to meet these people who I would’ve admired for many many years,” said Willy.
