Bealtaine Festival 2024: Celebrating Arts and Creativity in Age

Bealtaine Festival, Ireland’s National celebration of arts and creativity as we age, announces its highly anticipated return for 2024. The festival invites arts organisations of all kinds to register their events and join the vibrant festivities set to unfold across Ireland throughout the month of May.  

The Bealtaine Festival team is calling out nationwide for individuals and organisations of all sizes to join in the celebration, to plan and register events to take place in their regions in May 2024. From music and choral performances to visual art, theatre, writing workshops, dance, literature, circus, discussions on ageing diversity, film screenings, storytelling and much more, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

With an exciting, ever-growing lineup of events soon to be announced, ‘Prom Night’ is revealed as just a taste of what festivalgoers can expect. Hosted in partnership with Street 66 and Outhouse at Street 66, ‘Prom Night’ is set to be aninclusive event for older LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those who may not have been able to participate when they were younger, to put on their finest attire with a partner of their choice and step back in time to recreate the magic of prom. Iconic drag artist Alan Amsby (AKA Mr Pussy) will perform, with a special photo-booth intervention by photographer Enda Burke and music by DJ Ruth Kavanagh. 

Adding to the excitement, Age & Opportunity introduces the festival theme for 2024: “Lust for Life.” This theme celebrates the vitality and appreciation for life that often accompany later years. To explore this theme, Bealtaine Festival has commissioned an essay titled “Lust for Life” by writer and former Labour TD Liz McManus. The essay delves into the joy of living in older age and is available to read on Bealtaine.ie.

Bealtaine Festival is an initiative by Age & Opportunity, funded by The Arts Council and the HSE. As a pioneering national arts festival, Bealtaine fosters creativity among older people across Ireland, promotes intergenerational collaboration, showcases older artists, and encourages skills and experiences that enrich creative lives.

The Harris PR team is looking forward to utilising our expertise in media relations and events by supporting Bealtaine Festival across PR and social activity, to highlight the vibrant festivities set to unfold across Ireland throughout the month of May.