A total of €65,000 is available through this year’s Local Festival Fund for 2022.
Josephine O’Driscoll, Wild Atlantic Way Manager, Fáilte Ireland, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan, Wayne Ruxton and Pat Shackleton, Youghal Medieval Festival, Rose Carroll, Cork County Council and Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey at the launch of the 2022 Local Festival Fund. Photo: Darragh Kane.Applications are now open and organisers can apply for amounts ranging from €500 up to a maximum of €6,000 per festival.
Speaking about the return of festivals to the county, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan said
“Cork County is internationally renowned as a festival haven and the return of live music and entertainment to our towns and villages has been much anticipated. The Local Festival Fund has enabled the hosting of some of our finest and most unique festivals over the years, such as Youghal Medieval Festival, Ballydehob Jazz Festival and A Taste of Fermoy to name but a few. It is also important to note the many social gains from festivals; they entertain, they celebrate, they encourage participation within our communities, and they offer a snapshot of the unique cultural identity of our county. I strongly encourage festival and event organisers to take a look at the criteria and consider making an application.”
Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey added:
“While the hosting of physical festivals and events over the last two years was considerably limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, Cork County Council has been committed to continued support of local festivals. We have supported the development of virtual festival programmes and digital platforms, as well as hosting a series of Festival Development Workshops and providing funding to a smaller number of festivals who successfully hosted physical events during this period. The Local Festival Fund will be an important boost to local festivals and will be instrumental in this critical stage of recovery from the pandemic. Festivals and events will help to regenerate the economies of our towns and villages and will be a further incentive for visitors to make that return trip to Cork County.”
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals at Fáilte Ireland said:
“Festivals and events play a key role in delivering brilliant visitor experiences, providing a unique reason for visitors to choose a destination and increasing footfall for local businesses, supporting jobs and revenue generation. Domestic tourism will be hugely important again this year as we work towards recovery. Managed by Cork County Council, the Local Festival Fund will support festivals that drive domestic demand across Cork County.”
The Local Festival Fund criteria and online application is now available on www.yourcouncil.ie and will close on Tuesday 8th of March at 5.00 pm.
