Preparations already underway for arts fest 2025
“The skeletons and the muscles are sore, but the hearts are very full,” sums up Cavan Arts Festival founder and director Kim McCafferty of the joy overcoming exhaustion at knowing that last weekend’s event was such a success.
Thousands turned out, setting records for the still volunteer-led festival, across the four days- Thursday-Sunday, May 18-21, which culminated in a carnival style atmosphere in a sun-drenched Con Smith Park.
“I couldn’t say grew or improved [on previous years], because that’s not sufficient, but every little thing, every element, both behind the scenes and in front, it just blossomed. Right down to and including the camaraderie and sense of community which manifested in the size of the crowd, support, and the goodwill. Buy in from the local community is what we really want.”
There is a prevailing feeling within the organising committee that this was the year that Cavan embraced the Cavan Arts Festival as their own.
“Wholesale, absolutely,” a still exhausted Kim tells the Celt. “It really feels like the town and county are on board now, and that’s so heartening for us, as organisers and for the performers too.”
She takes credit for helping organise the good weather too.
“That’s from all my years of fervent praying,” says Kim with a laugh. “Could we ever imagine that the only thing we were missing was fans to keep the artists cool on stage.
With such a wealth of talent on show throughout the festival programme, with headliners such as Kevin McGahern and the award winning SodaBlonde taking to the Townhall Theatre stage also, Kim, and large crowds packing the big top in the park to take part in everything from an Irish dance workshop to seeing Virginia Gospel Choir and Marcus Magee and The Hollaw Men album launch.
How does it bode well for next year? Well is the answer.
“We had a lot of members of Cavan County Council come, other key stakeholder organisations were there too, so its not just us saying ‘hey, look! This is a great thing that we do. Can you please support it for the community?’. They saw it now, first hand, and I really feel the festival is going to start speaking for itself and that they can in future hopefully begin to support it to make it sustainable for us. Its a community arts festival that’s extremely ambitious and is providing for the entire community.”
Continuing to look ahead, Kim says the committee is using the energy from this year’s festival to push themselves even further for 2025.
“We’ve already got a lot of the acts planned and programmed. The funding application for the Arts Council has to be in by next Thursday. The energy and buzz from this year, that feedback, fuels the work for next year’s preparation.”
Feedback
She concludes with sharing a plethora of thank yous to the community for their support, and asks that people take time to provide their feedback on the festival online via www.cavanartsfestival.ie. As an added incentive there is a prize draw for those who take part.
“Thanks to the volunteers, to the community, and to anyone who helped support us throughout the year. A huge thanks you everyone who got out of their homes and gardens, into their cars or walked and came to the festival because none of this would have happened if it was just us in the park on our own.”