[ Cork City Council - Annual Report 2020 ]
Re-imagined GLOW GLOW was reimagined in 2020 to create a Christmas programme that animated the City Centre in a safe way and in accordance with government COVID-19 guidelines. Core programme including a Pantomime Window’s Installation, where the Christmas Panto was brought to life in ten designated shop windows transformed into traditional pantomime theatre sets, creating a Christmas Panto trail throughout the City. The Ferris Wheel and vintage carousel returned to Grand Parade, with increased sanitation, safety protocols and online booking. Other programming included pods of young musicians from Music Generation Cork City singing Christmas song in their localities, from neighbour parks to local care-homes, as part of ‘GLOW on the GO’. St Fin Barre’s Cathedral in association with St Fin Barre’s Quarter presented Christmas Carols for Cork City. Recorded at the Cathedral by a reduced choir, Christmas Carols were broadcast on a mobile screen, visiting the city centre, the city’s main hospitals, and also some nursing homes over five days in December. In addition, Graffiti Theatre worked with ten Cork City school classes to design and make their own panto scenes, transforming shoe boxes into mini pantomime sets as part of Shoe Box Theatre, which were exhibited in the window of the New Civic Offices in the lead into Christmas. Christmas Lights Togher Christmas Light Switch on took place again this year but as with everything else the Community were clever in their adaptation to collating a series of community switch on in housing estates, community buildings and business community venues. These were all captured live on video and brought together with background Christmas music. Children played a major part in this.
Farranree/Fairhill also had a video compilation also cleverly and comprehensively put together by Noel Kelleher Foróige Youth Office in cooperation with the community. Noel compiled a collection of previous Christmas photographs and video. This captured Christmas’s past exceptionally well ensuring the areas traditional Christmas Tree lights switch on was marked again this year. Africa Day 2020 In light of the COVID-19 emergency and our commitment to public health and safety, Africa Day 2020 had to be postponed. Last year over 4,000 people attended Cork City’s Africa Day events which included a fashion show, film screenings and a family fun day in Fitzgerald’s Park. This year would have marked Cork’s 6th Africa Day which falls annually on the 25th of May and is the official day of the African Union and marks African unity. The programme of Africa Day events in Ireland is coordinated and supported by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Africa Day celebrations throughout the country aims to highlight the scope and benefits of Ireland’s engagement with Africa and increase public awareness of Irish Aid’s development programme throughout Africa. “I would like to thank our Africa Day Organising Committee, who work diligently throughout the year to ensure that Cork City’s Africa Day is a vibrant and inclusive celebration. Although this year’s celebration has been postponed for public safety - it is encouraging to see that extraordinary efforts are being made to hold celebration online. During this strange time let us use social media to share experiences, connect with and support those we love and care about ”.
John Sheehan Lord Mayor, Cllr
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