This year's Galway Arts Festival, which will run in the city from 14 to 27 July, is expected to bring over 150,000 to the city, generating in excess of €25 million for the local economy.

The economic benefit of Ireland's signature arts festival was €20.2 million in 2007 but festival organisers expect a significant increase in 2008 due to the addition of the newly commissioned Festival Big Top. This new 3,000 capacity venue will be pitched minutes from the city centre at the Fisheries Field.

"The 2008 Galway Arts Festival programme spend is over €2.3 million and is a testament to just how far the festival has developed from a local event to major international flagship festival. This year there will be 266 events stretching across 35 venues in the city, county and the Aran Islands. In particular, we are very excited about our new venue the Galway Arts Festival Big Top and the programme we have to launch it.

"Over 150,000 people attend the festival with over 50 per cent coming for the West of Ireland, 25 per cent from abroad and the remainder from the rest of Ireland. The majority of international visitors come from the UK and US. With 1.4 million page views per year, the festival's website is now in seven languages Irish, Polish, German, French, Italian, Spanish and English. The festival carries major promotional campaigns overseas and over the last four years events have taken place in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto. Festival audience figures from these territories have begun to increase since these campaigns began.

"Galway Arts Festival has now become an internationally recognised brand," said Festival Managing Director, John Crumlish.

This year's festival plays host to a wide array of companies and artists this July with world renowned iconic artists and companies enriching the city's cultural life including The Philip Glass Ensemble, Druid Theatre Co, Bill Viola, Joni Mitchell, Omara Portuondo, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Tinariwen, The Blue Nile, Walker Evans, Blondie and the inimitable John Mahoney.

Founded in 1978, Galway Arts Festival is Ireland's largest and most prestigious arts festival and each year produces and presents an international programme of music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature and comedy involving hundreds of artists and performers.

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