12th May 2014
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
The Board of Cork Midsummer Festival is delighted to announce that this year’s Festival will take place from 19th – 23rd June 2014.
This year’s Festival will bring us back to our roots, providing just a snapshot of some of the wonderful arts and cultural activity happening in the city in the summer. It is a collaborative Festival, with each of the venues and artists choosing to participate, with work they would like to present within the Festival context. The Festival would simply not be possible without this rich and high-quality offering from the wonderful arts organisations and artists of Cork and we hope that as many people as possible will join us to celebrate this in June.
It has been a challenging couple of years for the Festival, as it has been for many organisations, arts or otherwise. In particular, it has been a year of tough decisions, late nights, extensive consultation and rigorous review.
As a voluntary and relatively new Board of the Festival, we have been humbled by, and are extremely grateful for, all of the support we have received during this process. From our main funders, Cork City Council, The Arts Council and Failte Ireland. From our Friends, Patrons, media partners, business partners and suppliers throughout the country. From our arts colleagues nationally and internationally, particularly in Cork. From our loyal audiences and attenders. Thanks to each of you for all of your support, for your understanding of the limitations of our resources this year, and for your patience as we took the time to gather the information and resources necessary to ensure that we put the Festival on a footing that will enable it to thrive for years to come.
We have a vision for the future of Cork Midsummer Festival. Cork deserves a Festival that can build on past successes and is equal parts exciting, quality, audience focussed, ambitious and sustainable. Your continued support, input and goodwill will enable us to realise this vision. Once again, we are very grateful.
This year’s Festival will have something for everyone to enjoy this Midsummer. Highlights of the Festival will include Der Vampyr presented by the The Everyman and Cork Operatic Society, a spine-tingling opera that will transform The Everyman into a witches coven of blood-curdling intrigue. People of all ages will be able to enjoy five hours of fun at the Picnic in the Park event at Fitzgerald’s Park. More information about this year’s Festival will be available in the next couple of weeks; keep an eye on our website for details.