Stage set in Cork city for the return of the Midsummer Festival 

The streets of Cork city are to become a stage this June as the Midsummer Festival returns.

Cork Midsummer Festival is an annual multi-disciplinary arts festival that uses the city as its backdrop and inspiration.

It provides high-quality arts events, both national and international for all ages.

A Handful of Dreams will grace Fitzgerald’s Park on June 17 and 18.

The performance combines aerial and circus arts with live Irish traditional music and dance.

Inspired by the poem The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats and the Celtic Twilight book of fairies, ghosts and spirits with a twist by implementing innovative musical score grounded equally in traditional Irish music as well as contemporary sound design and composition.

Audiences will be simultaneously comforted and exhilarated as the experience unfolds.

The Midsummer Parade kicks off at 3pm on Oliver Plunkett St on June 18.

The second annual Midsummer Parade will be a burst of colour and is a prime opportunity to celebrate the diverse communities in Cork.

Over 200 participants will take part including Suisha Arts, Blackpool Community Access Programme, National Learning Network, Blackpool’s Men’s Shed, just to name a few.

Islands of Foam will take place at 3pm on June 25 along John Redmond St in Shandon.

John Redmond St will be transformed with oceans of multicoloured rainbow-dyed foam by German artist Stephanie Lüning.

The colourful foam is created by water, biodegradable soap and food colouring, and is created by Stephanie before it absorbs the street and disappears without a trace.

Mallow based Japanese artist Seiko Hayase will provide live art and installations under the Creepy Parade banner in Fitzgerald’s Park at 1pm, Emmet Place at 5pm and the Marina Market at 7.30pm on June 17.

Creepy Parade is a street performance where five performers and live Irish pipe musicians wearing ‘brain hats’ explore how emotions stuck in the body might look if people chose to dance on the street with others.

Also, Egg, an installation representing a collection of released emotions will be on display at the Marina Market from June 14 to 25.

Tickets are on sale now from corkmidsummer.com.