KING JOHN’S Castle will be ablaze this September but not as a result of enemy attacks with burning arrows. On Saturday, September 15 the streets of Limerick will come alive with the inaugural Elemental Arts and Culture Festival. The festival encompasses the arts in all their guises, from interactive street art, dance and short films, to street performers and exhibitions. But it will be in the grand finale of the night that the city of Limerick will really shine. The Elemental team have revealed details of the Night of Fires event which will become the focus of the finale in the castle, a spectacular, the like of which has never been seen in Ireland, it is claimed.
Simon Thompson of the Elemental team, explained:
“King John’s Castle is a fitting stage for ‘Night of Fires’. As the name suggests, there will be a number of fire-based performances throughout the evening, with the build up beginning at six o’clock, there will be a variety of performers within the castle grounds.
“There is a real medieval theme to this event – we are incredibly lucky to have pyrotechnic specialist and special effects expert Hannes Jung taking part, with his Dreaming Flames work.
“This dramatic display involves a metal sculpture being set on fire, so that flames lick all around the piece. The glowing interactive fire sculpture looks stunning anyway. Set against the unique backdrop of King John’s Castle, it will be incredible.”
Chairman, Pius McGrath said that the fire theme will run right through the course of the three hour spectacular.
Local magician and escape artist Steve Spade will bring the evening to a rousing finish, headlining with a debut performance of his illusion ‘Sacrifice’. This burned-at-the stake illusion was choreographed by Morgan Strebler, professional magic advisor from the US, who has designed effects for illustrious performers such as David Blane. In this illusion, Steve will have to fight for his life to escape being burned at the stake and every second counts
Elemental is the brainchild of an enthusiastic team of individuals involved in the Arts, who want to bring accessible arts and culture to the people of Limerick.
Most of the events are free and the 400 or so tickets for the castle performance will cost just €5 each They can be booked in advance through a link on the festival site, www.elementallimerick.com
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