Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture

Greaney

Storm 10 wrote: »

Forecast for next weekend looking pretty bad for an event in the South Park whoever decided on this venue should be fired

South Park has been the venue for a huge amount of public events. It has a power source and hard stand near it. I can see by the thread here that there are a lot of hurlers on the ditch with plenty to say about how awful it's all going to be, however...

1) It had to be at this time of year, for the opening, and in fairness, they did kick it down the road a bit
2) it had to be in the city centre so as to be accessible by public transport to most of the county. And yes, more public transport has been put on for it.
3) It had to have a capacity for the largest audience (50k) that one place in Galway city could accommodate. The swamp has been used for years, it's not a new venue for these kind of things.
4) It had to be outdoors. Galway always has ****e weather, we can never ever get around that, so an element of 2020 is a project is called 'hope it rains' which basically explores the fact that.... it's always bloomin raining!! So this is honestly designed for folk to get on their wellies and ……. lol, suffer it!

_Whimsical_

Pyrotechnics does mean fireworks, right ?:)

They'd be nice viewed from lots of locations around the city rather than being stuck in the swamp so it'll be enjoyable for people who can't attend too.

zell12

Galway preparing for a space launch

Greaney

Dunno if I should post this, but the headliner at the Athenry 2020 opening ceremony is Rofi James..... doing a few gigs...

Whereisgalway

Greaney wrote: »

South Park has been the venue for a huge amount of public events. It has a power source and hard stand near it. I can see by the thread here that there are a lot of hurlers on the ditch with plenty to say about how awful it's all going to be, however...

1) It had to be at this time of year, for the opening, and in fairness, they did kick it down the road a bit
2) it had to be in the city centre so as to be accessible by public transport to most of the county. And yes, more public transport has been put on for it.
3) It had to have a capacity for the largest audience (50k) that one place in Galway city could accommodate. The swamp has been used for years, it's not a new venue for these kind of things.
4) It had to be outdoors. Galway always has ****e weather, we can never ever get around that, so an element of 2020 is a project is called 'hope it rains' which basically explores the fact that.... it's always bloomin raining!! So this is honestly designed for folk to get on their wellies and ……. lol, suffer it!

2. Racecourse, accessible from everywhere and beyond

3. Racecourse, easily has the capacity and some

4. Racecourse, even with the element it has shelter and it won’t turn into a mud fest

Discodog

The weather forecast is looking very bad.

pure.conya

Greaney wrote: »

Dunno if I should post this, but the headliner at the Athenry 2020 opening ceremony is Rofi James..... doing a few gigs...

feckin hell!! Rofi James?

Greaney

Whereisgalway wrote: »

2. Racecourse, accessible from everywhere and beyond

3. Racecourse, easily has the capacity and some

4. Racecourse, even with the element it has shelter and it won’t turn into a mud fest

I understand what you're saying but I think there may have been other reasons...

Racecourse doesn't have as much public transport access (two journeys on public transport if your coming from the county, all buses & trains lead to city centre). This issue came up at information meetings in the county. There was talk of extra public transport capacity being put on for the night.

Racecourse is not near the sea ( Our fire works displays in the city are usually over the bay, for a lot of reasons like safety, and noise). I believe an element of the opening relates to our sea faring culture and is supposed to be seen from Clare. There was talk of bonefires along the Clare coast

Racecourse is private property. That would make it a budget issue. I cannot imagine they would allow much without their own paid staff from the racecourse to man it and it just might be too much of a palaver with the volunteer (wave makers) staff etc.

You have made me wonder why we don't use the racecourse for more gigs and events.... All I can think of is Christmas Park 'n ride, and Elf town. I've googled it and all the events there seem very corporate. Wasn't there a story about a big Rock Festival there (goodness, over 20 or 30 years ago) and it made a loss? Christy Moore played there or something??

Utopia Parkway

Discodog wrote: »

The weather forecast is looking very bad.

Looking very bad indeed. High winds and rain. Nightmare scenario. Was always a risk.

thesandeman

In fairness, the Clifden launch on Sunday worked out well. The general consensus by the locals is that about a thousand people turned up. There were a lot of strangers around but many of them could have been on junkets. More locals would have come except the weather turned bad about an hour and a half before it was about to begin.
The crews (paid) did an excellent job but some of them had to be redeployed to chase flying bollards as the wind picked up at just the wrong time.
I didn't get the name of the cleaning company involved but they were brilliant. They were constantly moving throughout the ceremony and picking up anything that was on the ground. Even an hour after everything had finished they were going around with flashlamps picking up cigarette butts from between the cracks in the pavement/cobblestones etc by hand. I've never seen the town as clean as it was by the time they finished. Apparently they are the cleaning company for the whole event. They didn't even know where they were moving to the next day.
Overall it was nice to have something different for the locals in our quietest month of the year but it didn't do anything much for the town's economy except for a couple of places beside where the event took place (the weather helped with that).
Hopefully the county won't be forgotten once the opening ceremonies are over with.

ChewyLouie

In bold on the city council page regarding the road closures is...

"In the event of bad weather on the 8th February, the Opening Ceremony may be postponed until Sunday, 9th February, 2020. If the conditions have not improved on the Sunday morning, the event may be cancelled."

Current weather forecast...
Saturday - "Strong winds and hail showers"
Sunday - "Gales and heavy rain"

Not looking great lads! Feel sorry for all the volunteers and workers preparing the site and the months of preparation.

ChewyLouie

Running an open air event in February and expecting 50,000 was very optimistic.

They should have kicked off the year with a smaller event in Eyre Square, similar to the launch event but with fireworks at the end... then launch into a flurry of indoor or short outdoor events across the city and county, nightly for 1-2 weeks. Like a mini arts festival in January.

Discodog

The timing is crazy. Most of Europe is freezing this time of year. It should run June to June. Spiddal managed their's in between hail showers. But it wasn't a night to be outdoors.

zell12

Tues, Wed, Thurs are all going to be dry relatively calm days.
Ideal weather for fireworks and outdoor fun.

Let me see if I have this straight because according to this thread.....

- the organisers are idiots for not doing something on New Year's Eve/Day and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something in Feb and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something outside
- the organisers are idiots for not using the race course instead cos it's more accessible than the city (the mind boggles at this one)

Oh and all of the above according to the prophet Ashleigh

Ye lot are worse than a meeting of the city Council

zell12

Limerick2020 would've been better

flazio

zell12 wrote: »

Limerick2020 would've been better

Kilkenny Waterford Carlow would have been better. I know Galway would love to be the home of outdoor street theatre but it just doesn't have the climate for it.

Storm 10

ChewyLouie wrote: »

In bold on the city council page regarding the road closures is...

"In the event of bad weather on the 8th February, the Opening Ceremony may be postponed until Sunday, 9th February, 2020. If the conditions have not improved on the Sunday morning, the event may be cancelled."

Current weather forecast...
Saturday - "Strong winds and hail showers"
Sunday - "Gales and heavy rain"

Not looking great lads! Feel sorry for all the volunteers and workers preparing the site and the months of preparation.

According to Met Eireann we could be looking at a Storm on Sunday also check out boards weather section for updates

ChewyLouie

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Let me see if I have this straight because according to this thread.....

- the organisers are idiots for not doing something on New Year's Eve/Day and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something in Feb and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something outside
- the organisers are idiots for not using the race course instead cos it's more accessible than the city (the mind boggles at this one)

Oh and all of the above according to the prophet Ashleigh

Ye lot are worse than a meeting of the city Council

It's a discussion forum DaCor, we're busy solving the world's problems here.

Greaney

zell12 wrote: »

Limerick2020 would've been better

I dunno man, I knew those who 'walked' when it was national capital of culture (which was not bid for and was to prep them to get the European one, the 'politics' backed Limerick). I know that a lot of cities go through this crap when they finally win the bid (the suits never trust the 'creatives'), it gets very political. That's a pity because Galways bid process was very authentic.

And finally, the bid was Limericks & three sisters first time bidding, but it wasn't Galways.... They lost to Cork before. So Galway would be trying to bid for a third time, next time round...

Discodog

Deleted User wrote: »

Let me see if I have this straight because according to this thread.....

- the organisers are idiots for not doing something on New Year's Eve/Day and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something in Feb and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something outside
- the organisers are idiots for not using the race course instead cos it's more accessible than the city (the mind boggles at this one)

Oh and all of the above according to the prophet Ashleigh

Ye lot are worse than a meeting of the city Council

Actually all of those are very valid points.

Outside, next to the sea, no shelter whatsoever & in February is taking a huge risk. There is no weather synopsis that would provide ideal conditions.

Your mind may boggle but the facts are that the racecourse would be a way better venue in respect of onsite facilities, shelter & hard standing. South park is the most unsheltered spot possible.

I'll add one more. The decision to erect high towers is insane. They alone will close the site due to wind.

Ashleigh1986

Deleted User wrote: »

Let me see if I have this straight because according to this thread.....

- the organisers are idiots for not doing something on New Year's Eve/Day and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something in Feb and
- the organisers are idiots for doing something outside
- the organisers are idiots for not using the race course instead cos it's more accessible than the city (the mind boggles at this one)

Oh and all of the above according to the prophet Ashleigh

Ye lot are worse than a meeting of the city Council

It's called having foresight Dacor .
This whole project has from the very start been mismanaged .
Hosting an outdoor event in February in a place called " the swamp ".
I see from their website that have included " the Christmas market " as part of the " 2020 " .
That joins the arts festival ,
The music festival at galway airport and other festivals that are already been part of galway .
Talk about filling up your programme with already existing projects .
Rates for businesses have gone up this year .
2 million of it will go to finance this mismanaged project .
Than again .... It's joins the now long list of galway xxxx ups .
The eyre square development fiasco .
The cobble stones on shop street .
Pallas cinema .
Volvo ocean race part 2 .
As with the above only when it's over will we may find out the level of xxxx up .

Discodog

I wonder what the Health & Safety maximum wind speed is for those towers ?

Wombatman

ChewyLouie

It's looking increasingly likely that Storm Ciara will land Saturday and "could bring winds in excess of 120km/h to the west" according to Weather Alerts Ireland.

Time to dust off the Child of Prague! Fingers crossed it changes direction or dissipates.

gordongekko

What about the Grass??????

pure.conya

gordongekko wrote: »

What about the Grass??????

cop onto yourself, huge difference between the swamp and the centre of the city having its green area ruined well into summer because of a ****ty "Christmas" market

pure.conya

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

It's called having foresight Dacor .
This whole project has from the very start been mismanaged .
Hosting an outdoor event in February in a place called " the swamp ".
I see from their website that have included " the Christmas market " as part of the " 2020 " .
That joins the arts festival ,
The music festival at galway airport and other festivals that are already been part of galway .
Talk about filling up your programme with already existing projects .
Rates for businesses have gone up this year .
2 million of it will go to finance this mismanaged project .
Than again .... It's joins the now long list of galway xxxx ups .
The eyre square development fiasco .
The cobble stones on shop street .
Pallas cinema .
Volvo ocean race part 2 .
As with the above only when it's over will we may find out the level of xxxx up .

this whole year could be building up to be a 365 day car crash

gordongekko

pure.conya wrote: »

cop onto yourself, huge difference between the swamp and the centre of the city having its green area ruined well into summer because of a ****ty "Christmas" market

But I want to be able to sit on the swamp looking out at the sea during the summer. That's going to be ruined now

zell12

gordongekko wrote: »

But I want to be able to sit on the swamp looking out at the sea during the summer. That's going to be ruined now

South Park is a historical rubbish dumping site before 1970s.
The pollution sources included municipal waste, hospital waste and industrial waste. :)

beardybrewer

Saw a huge amount of activity in South Park this morning. Two big towers erected. Not sure if they're for a tent or for the fireworks. Looks like it will be an impressive setup. Pity about the weather forecast. Lovely out today.

pure.conya

gordongekko wrote: »

But I want to be able to sit on the swamp looking out at the sea during the summer. That's going to be ruined now

you're not a bit funny, most people can tell the difference between the swamp being wrecked because its a swamp that used to be a dump, compared to the beautiful green grass area we have in the centre of the city that all tourists and day trippers pass through or get to sit down and enjoy, but by all means keep on making a fool of yourself by trying to compare the 2

Openside11

zell12 wrote: »

South Park is a historical rubbish dumping site before 1970s.
The pollution sources included municipal waste, hospital waste and industrial waste. :)

I played rugby in the swamp for years with the Jes. :eek:

Whereisgalway

Openside11 wrote: »

I played rugby in the swamp for years with the Jes. :eek:

Did ye win much?

Whereisgalway

Openside11 wrote: »

I played rugby in the swamp for years with the Jes. :eek:

Did ye win much?

Ficheall

pure.conya wrote: »

the beautiful green grass area we have in the centre of the city

Ah now, let's not exaggerate too wildly..

gordongekko

zell12 wrote: »

South Park is a historical rubbish dumping site before 1970s.
The pollution sources included municipal waste, hospital waste and industrial waste. :)

Eyre Square is a historical Market place that had grass on it for the grazing of livestock at said market

Snow Garden

zell12 wrote: »

South Park is a historical rubbish dumping site before 1970s.
The pollution sources included municipal waste, hospital waste and industrial waste. :)

Yeah I heard a few years ago that the Swamp was completely toxic.

Discodog

Likely that the event will be cancelled. 50 km per hour wind & rain on Saturday. Looks worse for Sunday.

ratracer

Discodog wrote: »

Likely that the event will be cancelled. 50 km per hour wind & rain on Saturday. Looks worse for Sunday.

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2058051890/1/#post112459877

You may be quite right Discodog. And that is such a pity, because despite all the negativity about this event in a lot of places, I would still like to see the event show off our city in a good light.
I really hope an early call is made on this and that Salthill car parks and the prom are closed off early, as they anticipated crowds will still try park there if they think the event is on.

Storm 10

High tide in Galway is around 5pm so if the wind is stormy people would be parking up at that time so as mentioned an early call to go or cancel would be required, the only thing I would say is having acrobatics on high wire near the sea in Winter is stupid given what we het in Galway

pure.conya

gordongekko wrote: »

Eyre Square is a historical Market place that had grass on it for the grazing of livestock at said market

yes, but it was never a recent dump and is now a feature of the centre of our city that's enjoyed by young and old, locals and tourists from the first warm sunny day to the last, where as the swamp...

Greaney

pure.conya wrote: »

yes, but it was never a recent dump and is now a feature of the centre of our city that's enjoyed by young and old, locals and tourists from the first warm sunny day to the last, where as the swamp...

Eyre Square's capacity isn't big enough. When 2020 went to do the program launch they were limited in their numbers. I'm trying to remember the exact amount but it was something silly like 5k. Tuam had 2.5 k on Tuesday night so clearly Galway is going to be well over 10 times that. They have capacity in South Park for 50k. Taking into account Public transport needs for the night and the history of events in South Park, I imagine they were left with no other choice. When you organise outdoor events (and I have), you have to plan and pick dates well in advance so it's always a gamble.

It's bad luck if the storm hits on Saturday, because at least three of the six county towns are having exeptionally lovely weather for the opening. I wasn't at Ballinasloe, but Tuam was a dream...

skinny90

Greaney wrote: »

Eyre Square's capacity isn't big enough. When 2020 went to do the program launch they were limited in their numbers. I'm trying to remember the exact amount but it was something silly like 5k. Tuam had 2.5 k on Tuesday night so clearly Galway is going to be well over 10 times that. They have capacity in South Park for 50k. Taking into account Public transport needs for the night and the history of events in South Park, I imagine they were left with no other choice. When you organise outdoor events (and I have), you have to plan and pick dates well in advance so it's always a gamble.

It's bad luck if the storm hits on Saturday, because at least three of the six county towns are having exeptionally lovely weather for the opening. I wasn't at Ballinasloe, but Tuam was a dream...

Can they move it for the following week?

Greaney

skinny90 wrote: »

Can they move it for the following week?

I've heard two 'plan b's, Sunday and Tuesday. They have to take it one day at a time. Tonight is Portumna (weather looks like it'll be perfect again), then Athenry, where it may rain, but perhaps not stormy. I hope it won't rain too much, the transport links to Athenry are really good and we (Athenry) get the feeling that if the weather stays good, the crowds will be terrific. It says it might rain after 6pm though.:o

Discodog

Greaney wrote: »

I've heard two 'plan b's, Sunday and Tuesday. They have to take it one day at a time. Tonight is Portumna (weather looks like it'll be perfect again), then Athenry, where it may rain, but perhaps not stormy. I hope it won't rain too much, the transport links to Athenry are really good and we (Athenry) get the feeling that if the weather stays good, the crowds will be terrific. It says it might rain after 6pm though.:o

Sunday is a definite no go. The Yellow warning is for both days.

ChewyLouie

Greaney wrote: »

I've heard two 'plan b's, Sunday and Tuesday.

Well Sunday is to be even worse than Saturday and the rough weather is to drag well into next week. Hopefully they can push it out a week or so.

Storm 10

Can't believe that they have called the event in the swamp "Hope it rains" what the f..k

thecretinhop

Storm 10 wrote: »

Can't believe that they have called the event in the swamp "Hope it rains" what the f..k

the mind boggles

Utopia Parkway

Played football in the swamp. It was damp down there even when the weather was dry. Throw high winds and rain on top of it and 1000's of people and it will quickly turn into a literal swamp.

An awful pity as the weather has been dry and calm all week but it's always a lottery.