Final preparations are under way in Galway city for the annual Macnas Halloween parade this weekend.
The event marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the street theatre company, which has performed all over the world in the four decades since it was founded.
This year’s parade involves hundreds of volunteers combining for what is billed as a celebration of the wild, under the title Fiáin.
Macnas says the spectacle has been devised to showcase its history and roots in the west of Ireland, by harnessing the energy and inspiration that has been central to its endeavours.
From humble beginnings on the banks of the Corrib, the company has gone on to stage large scale productions across the country and around the world.
These include the giant Gulliver in Dublin, to mark the city’s millennium celebrations in 1988, through to involvement in U2’s Zoo TV tour in the 1990s and participation in several international festivals.
Gulliver on the River Liffey in Dublin in 1988
The annual Halloween parade through Galway has formed a central part of its storytelling activity in recent years.
This involves a wide-ranging creative effort, from costume designers and character constructors, to teams of volunteers, make-up artists, musicians and parade organisers, who combine to make captivating events, with something for all ages.
This year’s parade will begin from the University of Galway and wind its way through the city centre before concluding at the Claddagh.
Spectators will line the streets of Galway city centre for the annual event
Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to line the streets for the event, which begins at 5.30pm tomorrow.
CEO of Macnas, Johnny O’Reilly, said he hoped audiences would be captivated by how designers and participants were “reimagining the possibilities of spectacle” to create something with vision, energy and “joyous abandon”.
Fiáin wull also be staged on Monday, as part of the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin.
Listen: History of Macnas as 40th anniversary to be marked
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The parades over the bank holiday weekend are billed as the start of a 40th anniversary programme of celebratory projects and events, which will be finalised in the coming weeks.
Dublin will also host the parade on Monday from 7pm