The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival returns this September 10-19 for its 17th iteration, as organisers attempt to once again electrify the streets and crash the internet of the coastal town with the sweet sound of those six strings.
“We can’t cram like sardines into every nook and cranny of Clonakilty as in previous festivals, so we’ve expanded the length of the event by three days. This way we can continue to honour the depth and diversity of approaches to guitar playing that has been the bedrock of CIGF since our first event back in 2005,” says festival co-organiser Ray Blackwell
For 10 days, the festival promises to do what they always do: celebrate the virtuosos, the three-chord heroes, the freak-out noiseniks and the bedroom noodlers. Joined by some of Ireland’s most exciting and innovative independent musicians, the festival will stage outdoor performances, virtual premieres and hybrid gigs (livestreamed with audience).
The programme welcomes John Spillane, John Francis Flynn, Windings, Dani Larkin, Clare Sands, Pretty Happy, Kyle Macaulay and Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine, Red Sun Alert and many, many more; and virtual premieres of work from Eve Clague, Joshua Burnside and Laura Quirke, Lonely and the Moose, Myles O’Reilly.
Explore the full programme at www.clonguitarfest.com
A new addition this year is the Guitartown Cinema – a roving outdoor cinema that allows audiences to experience the online festival in a way that recreates the communal atmosphere of pre-pandemic gatherings.
The festival also continue their longstanding association with Culture Night on Friday, September 17, with some special events “but let’s be serious….every night is culture night here at Guitartown!”
Tickets to the in-person performances will be limited and are on sale now. Go to www.clonguitarfest.com
All of the festival’s events have been prepared in compliance with current health and safety measures.
CIGF is a volunteer-led community group of passionate music fans and can only continue this year thanks to the support of the Arts Council, Cork County Council and committed local sponsors.
