Cork’s midsummer dream as record crowds expected for festival

CORK’s Midsummer Festival, which was officially launched last night, is set to be the biggest to date, attracting an estimated 90,000 visitors who will have the pleasure of viewing more than 700 diverse acts from all over the world.

Details of the festival, which takes place takes place from June 15 to July 5, were announced amid a party atmosphere in the Bodega bar.

Festival general manager, Dyane Hanrahan, said the packaged programme had something for every age and taste.

She said the highlights would include the Lord Mayor’s picnic, which will kick off the festival.

It will be held in Fitzgerald’s Park and is expected to attract more than 10,000 people.

“That event will be a free extravaganza of entertainment, face painting, music, boat trips up the Lee and delicious food,” said Ms Hanrahan.

She added that the festival organisers were delighted to welcome back Corcadora, with their highly anticipated version of Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape, as well as the Irish premiere of Braakland by Compagnie Dakar.

Running throughout the festival, the Irish Examiner-sponsored Spiegeltent will host an abundance of shows.

Legendary krautrock band Faust will make their first highly anticipated appearance in Ireland this year at the Spiegeltent, as well as a post-punk legends The Fall, and there’s a return performance from Camille.

The Irish Examiner Spiegeltent will also host the cabaret variety show The Last Resort, a meeting point where the audience meet the artists and new talents are found.

The festival finale will be “Robodock”, a unique international festival from Amsterdam that merges technology and the arts.

It will feature a number of life-sized robots built from recycled scrap metal and other industrial waste products.

* Bookings for the events can be made on www.corkmidsummer.com or by phoning [phone] while the ticket office is at the Merchant’s Quay shopping centre.