Cork 2005 has announced details of the Solas Festival of Light, its event line-up to mark the closing celebrations for its year as European Capital of Culture. The programme begins later this month with the start of the city?s Christmas illuminations, and will culminate in a Solas Fireworks display on New Year?s Eve, echoing the display that launched the celebrations in January this year (pictured).
A series of New Year?s Eve free ticketed events will include New Beat, a musical extravaganza at City Hall featuring professional and community percussionists and other musicians, with aspects of the musical spectacle being showcased in the city centre throughout the day. A recent review of Cork?s tenure as European Capital of Culture revealed an attendance figure of over 730,000 people at official Cork 2005 events during the first six months of the year. In the second quarter, 80 projects took place, comprising 562 events spanning theatre, architecture, music, sport, visual arts, film, dance and literature. Residency- and community-based activities led to 28,000 people participating in more than 500 creative workshops in the city.