One of the highlights of the annual Arts Festival is the fantastically flamboyant Macnas Parade, which hits the streets on Sunday 19 July. This year's parade is titled Orfeo and will be directed by Artistic Director of Macnas, Noeline Kavanagh.

The main character is recreated as a shaman, who walks the streets of Galway waking up dreamers and beasts and this junkyard mechanic will traverse the streets of Galway in a wild and elemental procession full of colour, ritual and pagentary.

Noeline Kavanagh sees Orfeo's journey as a magical pop-up book with pages unfolding on each street.

"The fact that it's a nighttime parade will feel that bit more adventurous. Sometimes it's good to break up your routine a bit, to shake it up for everyone, adults and kids."

This year's parade will feature a fiery poet, a beastiary of paleolithic and mythological creatures, a sleeping percussive junk dragon, a ship of fools, celestial dj's, live music, an emphermal songstress, and Orfeo's choral troupe.

As is the tradition with the Macnas Parade, there are a huge number of volunteers participating and Noeline is proud of the "completely collaborative process" that has gone into the production.

"We have a group of amazing artists contributing to and being inspired by the whole idea in the first place, and it's their design and interpretation and creative work that people will see on the street!"

The Macnas Parade 'Orfeo' will take place on Sunday 19 July at 10pm.

The parade will begin at the Spanish Arch, travelling on to Flood Street, Merchants Road, Lower Abbeygate Street, William Street, Eglinton Street, Francis Street before heading over the Salmon Weir Bridge and around the Cathedral.