The Galway Arts Festival, a two-week feast of carnival, theatre and music, kicks off with an array of temptations. Today's big event is the annual rock marathon, the Big Day Out, which starts at Castlegar Sportsground at 1.30 p.m. and features Pulp, Garbage, The Beastie Boys, Cornershop and Ian Brown. On Monday the dynamic rhythm and sound of the Japanese Kodo Drummers hits the city, specifically the Black Box car park at 9 p.m. This week also sees concerts with quirky folk singer Kristin Hersh (Tuesday, Town Hall Theatre, 8 p.m.), balladeer Andy Irvine (Roisin Dubh, Wednesday, 9 p.m.), ex-Waterboy Mike Scott (Thursday, Town Hall Theatre, 8 p.m.), and the 16-year-old classical violinist Cora Venus Lunny (Nicholas Collegiate Church, Friday, 1.10 p.m.).
Theater Titanick arrives from Germany for the Irish premiere of Titanic, involving the building of the doomed ship on stage, with special effects, comedy and melodrama. Titanic runs from Friday to Sunday at the Cathedral Car Park. Galway regular Footsbarn performs Moliere's comedy Don Juan (Tuesday to Thursday) and, the following week, A Winter's Tale. The venue is its own marquee in Fisheries Field. From Wednesday to Saturday at 7.30 p.m. the British group Circus of Horrors struts its stuff at the Black Box. Directed by Pierrot Bidon of Archaos, the circus features Wasp Boy, who swallows an electric drill; and a Hungarian midget, billed as the smallest man in the world. Martin McDonagh's comic play, The Lonesome West, opens at Druid Lane Theatre on Thursday, 8 p.m. There is a spread of visual art throughout the city, most of it opening on Monday, but Alice Maher's bobbing mermaids will be visible in the waterways of the city from today. Sam Francis, one of America's finest contemporary painters, exhibits at NUI Galway; and Irish sculptor Patrick O'Reilly (see picture) brings his surreal style to the Aula Maxima, also at NUI Galway. Other artists include Martin Parr, Marylene Megro, Leopoldo Novoa, Ted Turton and Tom Mathews.
As for readings, acclaimed war correspondent Maggie O'Kane will appear in conversation with Lelia Doolin at An Taibhdhearc, Wednesday, 6 p.m.; while prize-winning Mayo writer Mike McCormack will read from his debut novel, Crowe's Requiem, at Keohane's bookshop, Thursday, 6.30 p.m. Children's events include Henry And The Seahorse, performed by Denmark's Theatergrupen Mariehonen for three-eight year olds (Town Hall Studio, Thursday to Saturday, noon and 3 p.m.).