Limerick City and County Council has announced €380,000 investment in 38 festivals across Limerick to grow and develop the arts and cultural offering across the city and county.  

Limerick City and County Council announces €380,000 investment in 38 festivals across the city and county.

Limerick City and County Council has awarded €380,000 to festivals across Limerick to grow and develop the arts and cultural offering across the city and county. Sixty applications had been received as part of an Open Call which were reviewed by an assessment panel. 

 This week it was announced that €50,000 was awarded to 17 successful applicants in strand one of the grants scheme with €220,000 awarded to 20 applications in strand two.  

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 The Council has also announced that €75,000 will be provided for LEAF – a new Limerick electronic arts festival which will take place in October 2019.  

Cllr Michael Sheahan, Mayor of Limerick city and county, said Limerick’s personality is captured most creatively by the diverse festival and big gig scene, active throughout the city and county. 

“Limerick has recognised the value of with festivals and events that create a rich vibrancy that contributes greatly to Limerick’s burgeoning reputation as an exciting and dynamic place of celebration. Festivals and Events offer important opportunities for residents, visitors and creatives to gather, collaborate, experiment, explore and present work in an atmosphere of celebration,” he said.

“The continued legacy of Limerick City of Culture as a creative and vibrant place open to new ideas is a key objective in the delivery of the Limerick Cultural Strategy, and this investment by the Council underpins that,” he added. 

This festival will be a world-class, multi-venue electronic arts festival, showcasing digital arts, with headline music acts and partnership with technology companies across four days in October during the tourism off peak season.  

Research conducted by Limerick City and County Council shows that cities with strong cultural identities invest significantly in the development of international flagship festivals to strengthen their cultural and creative credentials and boost their profile as a cultural tourism destinations.  

The panel recommended the investment into the development of this international flagship festival for Limerick, which represents the partnership components of the overall budget of the festival. 

 A total of €35,000 will be made available to support a European Expo partnership event between the Council and the Hunt Museum – a series of exhibitions, seminars and events over the course of 2020 that celebrates national and European culture and cooperation. 

Sheila Deegan, Culture and Arts Officer, said that a tender for the formulation of a new Festivals and Events Strategy for Limerick has also been advertised with a closing date of Wednesday, August 7. 

“The issuing of a tender for a new Festivals and Events Strategy is part of the actions to support the ongoing transformative revitalisation of Limerick, repositioning Limerick as an attractive European destination in which to invest, work and live,” she said.  

“This is underpinned by a cultural renaissance, which has changed the face of Limerick and local perceptions of Limerick have been renewed with a confidence and a sense of belonging to which other places aspire.  Wider national and international perceptions of Limerick have been energised by the stronger identity we have forged. This tender will guide the way for how Limerick succeeds in leveraging its cultural capital will continue to be the key differentiator in maintaining social and economic momentum,” she added.

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