The Galway Arts Festival is always a huge hit with both locals and tourists, owing to the wide range of events and concerts available.

This year is no different either as a number of popular acts are set to rock the Big Top stage including Gavin James, Lisa Hannigan and The Coronas while theatre goers are promised a treat with numerous offerings, both homegrown and international on this year's programme. The festival takes place from Monday 17th to Sunday 30th July and there's something to look forward to every single night. The GAF 40th Anniversary Weekend Party  2017 marks 40 years of the popular festival and to celebrate, there are some fantastic acts lined up for the second weekend. Jenny Greene and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra take to the Absolut Big Top tent on Friday 28th July and judging by their previous performances in Dublin's 3Arena, Cork's Live at the Marquee and Electric Picnic, this is one set not to be missed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rakkk1KwKc Saturday 29th sees The Coronas return to the long-standing festival and they're likely to showcase new album Trust the Wire while also treating fans to a few of their most popular tunes. Theatre highlights There are a number of productions due to debut at the festival including: Woyzeck in Winter, a fusion of two masterpieces - Büchner's Woyzeck and Schubert's Die Winterreise and featuring a stellar Irish cast. The Second Violinist a new opera by Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh. Bathroom by Enda Walsh, presented in a gallery setting and featuring the voice of Tom Vaughan Lawlor (a name many will remember for playing Love/Hate's Nidge). Street Art Programme Two of the most-talked about shows from this year's International Street Programme include the illumination, i-Puppets, and the architectural installation, The People Build.  Many of these features will be put on in The Big Top, a landmark of the festival. This is always a joy to see in all its royal blue glory, a sign of the festivities to come and the below time-lapse video captures the GAF preparation from a ringside seat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5sAcqGT2Cg&feature=youtu.be First Thought Talks  First Thought Talks 2017 brings a series of conversations on power with contributions from academics, activists, architects, artists and authors with speakers including Emma Rice, Colm Tóibín, Rebecca MacKinnon,Marwa Al-Sabouni, Tom Tomorrow, Carole Cadwalladr, Maureen Gaffney, Caitriona Perry and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State from 1999–2001, Bennett Freeman. Musical Treats Although the GAF 40th anniversary weekend includes some stand-out names as mentioned above, there are plenty of other well-known artists performing throughout the festival. On the 23rd July, Brian Wilson, of The Beach Boys fame, together with a 15-piece band will wow people with tunes from his Pet Sounds album and some Beach Boys tracks for good measure. Other notable acts include Gavin James, Lisa Hannigan, Badly Drawn Boy, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Passenger. You can check out the list of the performers here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCYw3HrtXAQ Oh and if do you make the trek to Galway, there are a few other places worth a visit too as you'll see from our local's guide to the City of the Tribes. Main image via Instagram: Galway Arts Festival