“Check the website,” is the advice of the Chief Executive of Galway International Arts Festival, John Crumlish, to those who are hoping to attend shows, gigs and talks during the event’s final days.

Many shows are sold out but there are tickets for others, including An Fear Liath, an international co-production from Fíbín sa Taibhdhearc. In association with the Galician National Theatre and Friesland’s Tryater, this largescale, outdoor spectacle will be staged at the city’s Claddagh Basin from this Thursday to Saturday at 10pm nightly.

Written by Philip Doherty, whose previous Fíbín shows have been critically acclaimed, it’s set in and around a fishing village, where deceit, superstition and murder take centre stage after a family-owned trawler disappears at sea. An Fear Liath has been adapted and is being directed by Fran Nunez.

Most other theatre shows opened last weekend and are sold out, but as of going to press, there was limited availability for Decadent Theatre’s production of Marina Carr’s The Map of Argentina at An Taibhdhearc, and Cultural Exchange Rate, a theatre/installation work from Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury. That’s at the University of Galway’s Aula Maxima, with shows  regularly from 11am to 9.30pm daily.

The popular First Thought Talks also continue this weekend, and again, while most are sold out, there are tickets for some.

The remaining Big Top concerts, including Gavin James and the Saw Doctors, are sold out but some concerts in the Róisín Dubh and Monroe’s still have tickets, according to John, while the Traditional Music Showcases, which take place at lunchtime in Monroe’s until this Saturday, have tickets on the door.

Last Saturday, some 80,000 people filled the city for free street spectacles from French companies Planète Vapeur and Les P’Tits Bras, says GIAF’s Artistic Director, Paul Fahy.

Pictured: Pegasus by Planète Vapeur bringing the fantastical and magical to life on the streets of the city centre during Galway International Arts Festival at the weekend. PHOTOS: Joe O’Shaughnessy