IT IS an event based on art, literature and music, but the most obvious sign that Kinsale Arts Week had kicked off on Saturday was the spandex.
Among the hordes of tourists in town over the weekend, the most colourful were those heading to Charles Fort for the opening-night concert by Abba tribute band Waterloo.
One group of eight women were particularly lurid in pinks and blues, complete with platforms and bleached-blonde wigs. “We’re off to the Abba concert,” one announced, as if there could have been the slightest doubt.
While the clouds threatened, the rain stayed off, and the rest of the weekend was dry too.
Now in its seventh year, Kinsale Arts Week has established itself as one of Ireland’s leading community arts festivals, featuring street acts and Irish talent alongside international names.
An estimated 20,000 visitors are expected during the festival, which continues until Sunday and is worth about €4 million to the local economy.
Saturday’s concert was followed by Street Day yesterday, during which Kinsale was busy with market stalls, pavement art, musical acts and – inevitably – traffic. The town square gave the crowds a choice between acrobats and bands, while many shop windows have become temporary art galleries.
The most sought-after ticket was for yesterday evening’s event with English author Michael Morpurgo at the Trident Hotel.
Morpurgo is best known for War Horse, which is currently being filmed by Steven Spielberg. He also launched the festival on Saturday afternoon at the Mill, where an art exhibition acts as a focal point for the equine theme of this year's events.
The festival’s eclectic programme includes performances by the Undertones and the Rubberbandits, and an exhibition that will grow out of drawings of Kinsale that are made during the week.
For a town that prides itself on its culinary offerings, there has to be a foodie flavour to events. Perhaps the most unusual will be a meal which diners will eat while blindfolded. Aptly, it takes place in a restaurant called Crackpots.
