This weekend calls for spontaneity and abandon as the SoGo Arts Festival takes place for the first time. The South Great George’s Street district, including South William Street and Castlemarket (pictured) , will pulsate with an array of events encompassing every facet of Dublin culture. The plan is to tap the creative potential of this eclectic, off-centre neighbourhood, packing it all into one weekend and making it accessible to all.
Spearheaded by TV producer Kate Fennell, SoGo is the work of a seasoned and imaginative group of organisers, volunteers and participants. People from a variety of disciplines and experimental arts will collaborate, taking art to the streets at an affordable cost. Of the 60 events on offer, most will be free. Bars, restaurants, shops, stalls and fashion boutiques in the area will take part, giving visitors a chance to explore beyond the mainstream.
Carnivalesque highlights include live music; folk dance; short and long film screenings; a vintage swap-shop at the Shebeen; a car-boot sale at Andrew’s Lane; art installations; and the zany Antiques Rouge Show, where rejected paintings can be brought along, reworked by artists and auctioned.
Children can avail of a crafts workshop and puppet show, and there are rumours of face painting and conjurers. There will be a singular opportunity for kids to muck in and “cook” raw goodies with Natasha Czopor from Natasha’s Living Foods.
Eating good food inexpensively is high on the agenda. SoGo has persuaded some of the district’s eateries – including Ukiyo, Lemon, Yamamori, Coppinger Row and the Exchequer – to concoct festive specials and street food. Genteel tea parties will be followed by barbecues, and Fallon Byrne will host tastings all weekend.
Spoken word will also feature, with intellectuals including Desmond Fennell joining a heretics’ discussion questioning the place of thinking in Irish society and economy. Trevor White will divulge his Dublin Diaries in a reading of his forthcoming book.
Luke Sheehan will reconnect with our heritage of storytelling when he conducts The Chair, a platform for young writers to unveil works-in-progress, with an emphasis on dramatic performance.
To participate, just turn up anytime from now, grab an itinerary and explore what’s on offer. For maps, trails and listings see www.sogo.ie.
