This year’s Baboró International Arts Festival for Children will run from October 11 to 20 and the programme will be officially launched in Galway on Tuesday, September 3.

There will be shows for schools and families, presented by companies from Ireland, Scotland, England, Italy, Sweden, The Netherlands and Belgium – including two from the Flanders region of Belgium.

And there will be an expanded programme for children with additional needs, which will include specialist performances for young people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities. Irish Sign Language-interpreted, captioned and audio-described events will also be included this year.

Highlights for Baboró 2024 include a madcap musical, a thought-provoking comedy and an exhibition of eye-catching tapestries.

The musical Bully Bully, at an Taibhdhearc, is for children aged 4+. From Dutch company Maas Theater en Dans, it uses humour and music to highlight the similarities between toddlers and world leaders – thankfully, it has a heartwarming resolution.

Grown Ups, at the Black Box, for children aged five and older, is an absurd, horror tragi-comedy that questions what adults really do while children are at school. From Belgian companies Compagnie Barbarie and BRONKS, it offers a child’s perspective on how adults live.

The exhibition, Little Monsters, will be at Galway Arts Centre and is suitable for all ages. This installation of colourful textile tapestries and 3D shapes explores success and failure, as well as the need for approval and love in an increasingly digital world. Using a range of crafting techniques, local artist Laura Angell invites people into a world of symbols, omens and lucky charms. She calls on these on to quell the anxieties of this world, where events can become like Little Monsters roaming inside people’s heads.

That’s just a snippet on what’s on offer at Baboró this year. The full festival programme, including workshops, adult events, and ticket information, will be available at www.baboro.ie from Tuesday, September 3.

Pictured: Grown Ups from Belgium is absurd, horror tragi-comedy that explores what adults really do while children are at school.