Date: 20 Sept 2024
Wainfest 2024 – ‘550 Adventures’ await…
The 28th Annual Wainfest Children’s Arts and Book festival was launched on Thursday the 19th of October in the beautiful and historic Donegal Castle, where school children from Scoil an Leinbh Íosa were treated to an immersive story telling experience from the fabulous Maura Logue and an inspiring talk from local author Isla McGuckin.
The theme of this year’s festival, “550 Adventures,” aligns with the Donegal 550 celebrations, which commemorate the 550th Anniversary of Donegal Town. Few Irish Towns have ever reached such a milestone, yet Donegal Town is still young at heart and a flourishing and vibrant cultural centre. The Wainfest programme this year is a recognition of the town and region’s remarkable history and aims to celebrate its unique heritage and culture.
Launching the event, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Niamh Kennedy outlined how this year’s festival will celebrate “the many talented authors, illustrators, musicians, historians, and storytellers who will provide children with opportunities to participate in activities that celebrate their heritage, in a fun and engaging manner.”
She went on to say that Donegal County Council “believes that promoting and supporting festivals is of vital importance to our society, our economy, our education and our communities” and that “festivals are instrumental in allowing community engagement, economic development, and celebrating diversity in our communities.”
Wainfest invites children of all ages to embark on an exciting adventure through captivating performances, interactive workshops and engaging storytelling sessions, all designed to spark curiosity and foster a love of books and the arts.
This year, Wainfest offers over 100 free events designed for schools, families, and children of all ages. Activities are available both indoors and outdoors, with some events streamed live into classrooms, along with evening and weekend programs to accommodate families and to encourage participation in a wide range of activities.
Some highlights of this year’s family events include MC Grammar, who combines music and language arts to help children understand and remember grammatical rules - beatboxing, dancing, rhyming, READING, rapping...you name it, he does it!
There’s also a 3D Game Development Workshop, author visits, biology workshops, Boogie Bugs dancing classes and much, much more! Children can try out pottery with Lorraine O’Carroll, learn how to upcycle an old item of clothing into a fabulous new fashion piece with Bernie Murphy or embark on a prehistoric journey with the Roar, Roar Dinosaur workshop. There’s sure to be something for everyone!
The school’s programme, as expected, is packed full of amazing events including, The Big White Coach Sensory Experience, visits from renowned authors such as Eve McDonnell, Sheena Wilkinson, Erika McGann and Paddy Donnelly, among others, as well as performances from storytellers, artists and a host of interactive workshops and activities.
Following the launch, schools received an electronic copy of the brochure and families can view the full programme of events planned by picking up a brochure in their local library or cultural venue. The programme is also available on our website www.wainfest.ie
