Greetings from Under the Arch
Galway has three completely different festivals colliding this week:. Pride week builds to Saturday's parade through Galway city, Kinvara fills with red sails, and the world's biggest maths-and-art conference sets up on campus.
This is our pick of what's on in Galway this week. As always for a full event list check out the link at the bottom of the email.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
Cruinniú na mBád
Friday 7 to Sunday 9 August · Kinvara Harbour
Forty-seven years on, the gathering of the boats remains one of the best free spectacles in the west: up to 100 Galway Hookers, from the big Bád Mór down to the little Púcán, racing under red sails across the bay to Kinvara. The festival was founded in 1979 to save these boats from extinction, and the fact that the harbour still fills every August means it worked. Racing, turf unloading the old way, music in every pub in the village. Pick a clear day and go.
Club GASS: Pride Party 2026
Saturday 8 August · from 14:00 · Róisín Dubh
Pride week peaks with Saturday's parade through the city, and this is where the day ends up: an all-day takeover of the Róisín with beer-garden DJs from 2pm, drag games, a main-stage extravaganza in the evening and a UV party upstairs to finish. Three bars, multiple floors, and the best-natured crowd of the Galway year. Pace yourself; it's a marathon.
Sailhymn and Sharpie: Galway Pride Show
Wednesday 5 August · 20:00 · Róisín Dubh
Steven Sharpe and Sailhymn Ó Neart are two of the most charismatic performers Galway has produced, and this free Pride show plays to both of their strengths: big voices, big hearts, and jokes between songs that are better than most comedians' sets. Free entry means the room will fill, so come early.
Red Hot Funky Peppers
Saturday 8 August · 20:30 · Seven Bridgestreet & The Loft
A Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute hitting the funk end of the catalogue hard, upstairs in The Loft. Chili Peppers songs were built for a packed room with a low ceiling, not a stadium screen. If the parade day still has petrol in your tank, this is a decent place to burn it.
Craft Night for Galway Pride
Thursday 6 August · 18:30 to 20:30 · Plámás, Dominick Street Upper
A free Pride craft night in the Westend run by Café Lates: colourful making, zero skill requirements, and a low-key way into Pride week if parades and club nights aren't your speed. It's part of the push to keep Galway's evenings open later, which deserves the support. Just show up with hands.
Dragged Up
Friday 7 August · 20:30 · Róisín Dubh
A drag supergroup doing lip-syncs, live vocals, comedy and audience interaction, with guest DJs playing Pride anthems until late once the show ends. Drag in the Róisín two nights before the parade is about as central to Galway Pride as it gets. Book rather than gamble on the door.
Mathematical Fashion Show
Friday 7 August · 19:00 · Bailey Allen Hall
Clothing designed from mathematical principles, on a runway, at a university. This is the public face of Bridges 2026, the world's biggest maths-and-art conference, which also hangs over 200 artworks in Bailey Allen Hall from Wednesday to Saturday. You will not get a second chance at this sentence in Galway for years. Go and be confused in the best way.
Bridges 2026 Family Day
Saturday 8 August · 13:00 to 17:00 · Áras na Mac Léinn, University of Galway
Twenty-one free hands-on workshops where maths sneaks in through origami, spirals, puzzles and kinetic art, plus a short film festival, dance and poetry. The Bridges conference brings people like Matt Parker to town, and this is the day they aim everything at kids. Free, no booking gymnastics, and genuinely one of the smartest family afternoons Galway will offer this year.
Umbrella Le Chéile Artisan Market
Saturday 8 August · from 11:30 · Electric, Abbeygate Street Upper
The monthly artisan market at Electric: local craft, art, design and food producers, built around slow browsing rather than elbow-to-elbow stalls. Parade day in the city centre means you can fold this into the wandering. Cash helps the smaller makers.
Back to the 80's: The Ultimate Retro Party
Saturday 8 August · doors 22:00 · Monroe's Live
Non-stop 80s hits, fancy dress, glow wands, giveaways and, crucially, slow sets, for €16.50 in Monroe's. Every 80s night promises this; Monroe's is one of the few rooms that actually delivers the sticky-floor version of it. Over 18s, and the fancy dress contingent will out-commit you, so plan accordingly.
For a full overview of all events on this week in Galway check out our event listings page
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
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