AKA Kilkenny - showcasing the best of local talent and creativity

The Marble City will be bustling with creativity over the coming weeks as it plays host to the Alternative Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Now in its ninth year the festival and grown and developed into a wondrous ten days of showcasing the very best of local, artistic talent.

This year the committee who run the festival on a voluntary basis have pulled out all the stops in creating and curating an inspiring programme of events across the city and county.

Festival ambassador, Tony Strickland said he is full of anticipation for this year’s festival which looks likely to be the biggest and best yet.

“Bigger than ever, this year we will experience an even greater collection of events, spanning all the arts, spread out all over Kilkenny city and county,” said Tony who invited people to immerse themselves in the programme!

The programme boasts a great line up of craft events from restyled vintage furniture, ceramics, crotchet, felt, woodturning, prints, knitting and jewellery.

There is also an eclectic offering in the realm of literature, poetry and spoken word including the Soap Box City Spoken Word Event, Train of Thought and Poet Streams.

Meanwhile there is also plenty of music included in this year’s programme including the Adam Nolan Group. Irish free-jazz saxophonist, Adam Nolan has released 18 albums with his new album ARE U FREE including some of the finest American musicians onthe scene. With a philosophy that each gig and recording session is a new experience, he has recently added spoken word and rap into his sets, mixing free jazz with hip hop. Another musical highlight is the ICC20: Showcase at the Hole in the Wall when the Irish Compsers’ Collective travel to Kilkenny as part of its 20th anniversaey celebrations with a concert that will showcase works by Ireland’s top emerging composers. There are also plenty of free events including St Patrick’s Brass & Reed Band Summer Concert which will take place at St John’s Church on August 15.

Another highlight promises to be the teaming up after many years of Peter Brabazon and Steve Wickham who will take you on a magical mystery tour. Steve, a stalwart Waterboy in his time, has also played with Bob Dylan and U2.

There is also theatre and circus including Cult Collective’s Ark which will be performed at the Barnstorm Studio at John’s Quay from August 8 to 11 as well as visual arts and photography. The Market Cross Shopping Centre will also be hosting a number of events over this year’s festival. On both weekends of AKA there will be an Art Fair at the centre featuring local artists and on August 10 and 18 there will be a number of performances from local poets.

akafringe.com