Galway braces itself for visitor influx

Date Published: 02-Jun-2010

FESTIVAL fever is in the air and city businesses are expecting a much-needed ‘bonanza’ June Bank Holiday weekend with three major events that will draw the crowds and pump millions of Euro into the local economy.

The weeklong Powerboating Festival, which kicks-off on Saturday, is the highlight and is expected to attract up to 140,000 to Galway City and Salthill.

The annual Salthill Devon National Fives soccer competition at Salthill Park on Saturday and Sunday is always a crowd puller and the new Little Havana Festival, a street festival taking place in the so-called Latin Quarter of the city, which starts Friday and continues to Sunday should also ensure a ‘buzz’ of summer about the city.

The Powerboating Festival includes the P1 Superstock Grand Prix this Saturday and Sunday where racing can be viewed from the Promenade in Salthill from 1.30pm onwards on Galway Bay.

The Around Ireland Offshore Powerboat Race begins in Galway on June Monday 7 and ends in Galway on Saturday June 12 and Saturday week sees the start of a third powerboat competition, the P750 Cross-Border Championships.

A festival village is already being set up at Galway Harbour and a series of entertainment will be taking place there throughout the week.

The festival village at the docks will be about two thirds the size of the Volvo Race Village from last year and will be opened from 10am to 10.30pm with food and craft stalls, bars, DJs, street performers, busker’s, face-painters and balloon modellers.

There will also be live acts performing on stage throughout the seven nights including Crystal Swing, Emmet Scanlan and What the Good Thought, Dublin boys 21 Demands, The Cartoon Thieves, The Black Magic Band, Supermodel Twins, A Band Called Wanda.

Galway City Council’s Transportation Unit is collaborating with the Let’s Do It Galway team, Galway Racecourse and An Garda Síochána to provide a Park and Ride service for the event which will operate this weekend from Galway Racecourse.

Michael Coyle, CEO Galway Chamber, said the three events combined should ensure a ‘bumper’ weekend for the hospitality and retail sectors in Galway and Salthill. “When you look at what is being lined-up, it is a fantastic array of entertainments event and there’s going to be a great buzz around the town. The hospitality sector, bars, restaurants, hotels and so on will benefit and the spin off to the retail sector will give a boost as well. People are still cautious about spending but you don’t come to Galway and spend nothing so it is a bumper weekend and Galway businesses badly need it,” he said.

Mr Coyle said Galway is the envy of every other town and city in Ireland and he commended the volunteers who devoted their time to establishing the three events which will bring such benefit to the city.