Celebrate solstice with Navan music and arts festival

Navan will become a hive of arts activity from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th June, when Solstice Arts Centre hosts the third Solstice Festival. The programme includes opera, film, music, visual art and a host of family activities. Events have been organised in a number of venues throughout the town and surrounds, including Solstice Arts Centre, Railway Street, Beggy's Bar, Bridge Street, Chekhov's Coffee House, Bakery Lane, the newly opened Central Café, Trimgate Street and Tara na Rí, Garlow Cross. The opening festival gala will take place on Thursday 21st June, with Opera Theatre Company performing Monteverdi's celebrated opera Orfeo at Solstice Arts Centre. The opera will be sung in English and accompanied by the exquisite OTC Baroque ensemble. A pre-performance reception for all opera-goers will open the four-day festival. On Thursday, there will also be fun and music at Beggy's Bar. The Circles, whose band members formally belonged to platinum album sensation The Blizzards, will perform a mix of their familiar hits and brand new songs. On Friday 22nd June, Meath Arts Group will lead an art trail around Navan town to view numerous innovative and inspiring pieces from local artists installed in empty shop units, pubs and outdoor spaces. The trail starts from Solstice Arts Centre at 7pm sharp. Then it's time to feel some Latin heat with an evening of Tango and Tapas at Solstice. Enjoy a selection of tapas and tasty Sangria during this seductive Argentinian dance display. Also on Friday, Macey South provides modern traditional Irish music at Tara na Rí pub, with a free barbeque on from 8pm-9pm. At Beggy's Bar from 10pm you can catch great music from The Lost Brothers. This worldly duo has been compared to Simon & Garfunkel and featured on BBC's Culture Show, RTE's 'Other Voices' and recently took part in 'Other Voices', New York. On Saturday 23rd June, dip into a trove of books both old and new, at Meath County Council Library Services' Big Booksale in Navan Library (10am-1pm). Proceeds will help send surplus library stock to the Meath Mercy Mission in Zambia. From lunchtime, Chekhov's Coffee House on Bakery Lane hosts a free acoustic guitar concert with Wa'el Shabo. Budding artists can join Michelle Boyle's life drawing workshop at Solstice Arts Centre. The opening of the Surveyor exhibition will follow at 2.30pm with a reception in the Solstice galleries. This exhibition will feature several artists from Meath and endeavours to explore contemporary visual practice from the county. On Saturday night, there will be traditional music from Coscan at Tara na Ri, accompanied by an Irish dancing display, plus a free BBQ. Or rock it out with five-piece Navan rock band The Furry Gilberts at Beggy's Bar from 10pm. If you are in the mood for easy listening with a touch of swing, you can catch Caithriona Mongey at the newly opened Central Café on Trimgate Street from 10pm. Sunday 24th June is midsummer's day and is absolutely jam-packed with family fun and kids' events! Kicking off at 11am, children and parents alike can enjoy storytelling, art workshops, film and ice cream. Free activities include storytelling for toddlers with Joanne and a drop-in jungle mural workshop for children of all ages at Solstice Arts Centre with Oulala productions. Artzone will give a jungle-theme art workshop for five-seven year-olds in the Solstice studios. Burke's ice-cream cart will be on hand and families can grab lunch at the Solstice café before popping into the Solstice Theatre to watch the wonderfully hilarious Kung Fu Panda 2. To wind down, enjoy a family art picnic 'en plein air' hosted by Meath Arts Group at the Ramparts from 4pm-6pm. Families can bring along snacks and art materials to join in on the crafty fun.