The Magic of Macnas and Their Spectacular Halloween Parade
It's not Halloween in Galway without the Macnas Parade. This year the incredible street performers return on Sunday 25th October at 5.30pm, starting at University of Galway and ending at the fire station in the Claddagh.
Their theme for this year, Fiáin, pays homage to 40 years of bringing spooky spectacle to Galway's streets. It means wild or untamed as Gaeilge, and is a “celebration of the wild...the wild elements of the West of Ireland, the wild inspirations that have imbued our work over the last 40 years, and the wild energy that engulfs the streets, performers and audiences as we own the streets and public spaces for one night only.”
We caught up with Macnas executive director Johnny O'Reilly to chat all about the performing arts group and the magic behind what they do.
Celebrating 40 years this year, Macnas has been central to Galway’s visual and theatrical culture since its foundation. As executive director Johnny O’Reilly says, “This reputation and our aesthetic has been developed by many people, such as Noeline Kavanagh, who is responsible for putting Macnas’ Halloween Parade on the map.”
No two productions start the same way. “Macnas is an ensemble of incredible artists with differing practices and ideas,” explains Johnny. “Each production begins differently and tends to begin with the artist's interests, such as story, technology or performance, but what never changes is that the work is made for the place it is presented in, which is mostly Galway.”
In recent years, Macnas has invited guest directors and artists with specific skills and interests into the company to deliver individual shows. “The idea is that we continue to invigorate our work by constantly investigating the form and inviting artists with new and differing practices to collaborate with us, so we learn, and hopefully they learn.”
Volunteerism plays a huge role. “We could not do what we do without the hundreds of amazing people who commit their time to delivering the work. We believe that everyone has a place in the story. That is why our year-round public participation programme is so vital.”
Into the future, Macnas is looking at what it means to make public art in a time of “climate crisis, mass migration, and shifting identities”. And through its artist development programme, it is nurturing the next generation of spectacle talent. This year’s Halloween Parade will be directed by Galway artist James Riordan, and the team is working on a new show for 2027.
“Everything we do is grounded in the belief that spectacle belongs to the people, and that public art, made with and for the public, is one of the most powerful tools for social and cultural connection.”
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