Galway Food Festival gets €20,000 in funding

The Galway Food Festival is to get €20,000 from Galway City Council’s marketing fund towards the cost of holding the event this Easter.

The ‘new kid on the block’ of city events, the Food Festival was praised by councillors for giving the city a great return with national and international publicity, as well as increased bed nights and spend.

It had originally been agreed by the Cultural Corporate Policy Group to give the Food Festival €10,000 from the City Council’s Marketing Promotion Fund but councillors have now agreed to double that amount.

Founded by chef and food writer, JP McMahon, and chaired this year by chef, Heather Flaherty, the event celebrates its fifth year and will run from Thursday, March 24 to Monday, March 28, involving up to 100 restaurants in the city and county.

Up to 70,000 people are expected to attend the Festival, which concentrates on celebrating food through workshops, demonstrations and of course eating it!

Another food event, Food on the Edge, a two day seminar to be held in the city at the end of October, is to get €10,000 from the fund on the basis of the international and national publicity it garnered for the city last year.

Others benefitting from the Marketing Promotions Fund are Connacht Rugby, Galway City Innovation Direct, Challenge Galway, First Thoughts 2016 and Galway United which also get €10,000 each.

Macnas is to get €15,000 from the Fund while the Galway UNESCO City of Film get €7,000 and  and Cúirt and Baboró get €5,000 each.

The Mouche World Master Fly Fishing Championships is to get €10,000, too – an increase of €5,000 on its original commitment from the Fund on the conditions that both Galway and Mayo County Councils also sponsor the event.

There were 28 applicants in total seeking funding of €654,610 and the total funding allocated this year was €112,000.

The Fund was established in 2012 to allow the Council provide support for the holding of major festivals and events in the city – submissions are assessed by an Assessment Panel. This year’s fund includes €150,000 leftover from last year. And as a result both Connacht Rugby and Galway Utd are to receive an extra €10,000 each later in the year.

The Fund has been praised by councillors for its ability to allow Galway to be branded nationally and internationally through these events.