Longford Lights Festival ‘grows in size and artistic ambition’

Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Cllr Colm Murray, formally launched the Longford Lights Festival for 2024 on Thursday last, in Connolly Barracks.

The Barracks came alive with samba drummers, fire dancers and gigantic video projections as the largest community arts lights festival in Ireland was launched with appropriate spectacle.

Details for the ambitious three-day festival, running from February 23 - 25, were unveiled in front of an audience of Longford artists, participating community groups and representatives from festival funders - Longford County Council, The Arts Council, Creative Ireland and Longford Tourism.

Only in its third year the festival is shaping up to be one of the largest arts festivals in the midlands, with almost 11,000 people attending in 2023. This year the festival has doubled in size and involves twenty-three artists, twenty-eight art installations, forty-three schools and community organisations and thousands of lights.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Colm Murray launched the festival saying, “Longford Lights is fast becoming a premier arts event in the country, showcasing work of leading artists from Ireland and abroad while also involving local volunteers, community groups and schools”.

Artistic coordinator Caroline Conway used the gigantic wall projection to give attendees a sneak peak of festival highlights, including ‘Beacons of Light’ a community art installation that involves over 1,000 lanterns made by members of Longford communities and schools.

“This year the festival has grown in both size and artistic ambition,” said Caroline, “and we have included a lot of street performances including Samba bands, fire dancers, circus acts and the internationally acclaimed Spanish troupe Cal y Canto Teatro”.

Speaking at the launch, Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said, “The growth and development of the Longford Lights festival is a testament to the commitment of Longford County Council to creating opportunities for citizens to engage with arts and culture, while also supporting artists in our community.”

The festival runs from 6pm to 9pm each evening, on the weekend of Friday, 23 to Sunday, 25 February. Large attendance is anticipated so to avoid disappointment book your free visiting slot by logging onto www.ticketailor.com.