Prestigious international award for Púca festival
Halloween event recognised at convention in America
Meath's Púca Festival has been awarded a prestigious international prize, named as winner of the Grand Pinnacle Award at the 2024 International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, this week.
Ciara Sugrue, head of festivals and events at Fáilte Ireland, returned from America with the Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award just a day before the programme launch of the festival in the Swift Cultural Centre in Trim last night (Wednesday).
The award recognises the festival's excellence in the $500,000 to $1 million budget category.
Speaking at the launch in Trim, hosted by radio presenter and Something Happens singer, Tom Dunne, Ms Sugrue said that the award put the Púca Festival in really high company.
“Some 300 festivals attend this convention,” she said. “From Irish festivals in the US to rodeo festivals, Christmas holiday parades, Thanksgiving parades, and there were winners internationally from Korea, Bangkok, and Sydney.”
Earlier, cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Sharon Tolan, had told the audience that last year's festival had attracted over 43,000 people to Athboy and Trim over the Halloween weekend, bringing in revenue of €4.6 million to the locality, an increase of $1.6 million on the previous year.
“So far this year, we have excelled the target for international visitors, with 17 per cent of ticket sales from abroad already,” she stated.
The launch event offered a preview of the programme that will transform parts of Ireland’s Ancient East into festival hubs.
A panel discussion with key festival partners, including Kieran Kehoe, CEO, Meath County Council, Ciara Sugrue, and festival co-director, Martin Nolan of MPI artists, highlighted the festival’s evolution since 2019, its growing international profile, and its potential to attract over 50,000 visitors this year.
The evening featured a musical performance by Emma Langford and a circus act from Broken Theatre, showcasing the variety of entertainment in store for Púca Festival 2024.
The Púca Festival 2024 has a stellar programme with acts including Gavin James, Kingfishr, Bell X1, The High Kings, Dermot Whelan, Panti Bliss, Mary Coughlan, Deirdre O’Kane, Neil Delamere, The Dirt Birds, Davina Devine, Tom Dunne, Fiachna O’Braonáin and Alan Connor, Emma Langford, Ruaile Buaile, Qween and Dublin Gospel Choir, The Classic Beatles, The Hans Zimmer Experience, Leftfield (DJ Set) and Jenny Greene.
Pa Sheehy, former Walking on Cars frontman, will join Bell X1 as a special guest at the Púca Big Top on Saturday, 2nd November, and also just added is Craicly Stories where the Irish storytelling community will bring ghostly tales to life, featuring special guest Sinead O’Brien from her sold-out Edinburgh Fringe shows.
At the ceremony in America on Sunday, Steven Wood Schmader, President and CEO of the IFEA, praised this year's winners, saying, “The Pinnacle Awards recognize the outstanding achievements and top-tier creativity, promotional efforts, operational excellence, and community outreach demonstrated by festivals and events worldwide. By striving for the highest standards across all budget levels and regions, this competition not only elevates the quality of festivals and events globally but also shows how event producers can use innovation and creativity to achieve a higher level of success.”
For more coverage of last night's launch event, see next week's Meath Chronicle.