Sustainability Policy

Galway Comedy Festival is committed to delivering a vibrant, ambitious and high-quality cultural event while continually reducing the environmental impact associated with its activities.

As a multi-venue Festival operating across Galway City & County, we recognise that our environmental impact extends beyond our direct operations and includes the venues, artists, suppliers, contractors, audiences and partners involved in delivering the Festival.

We are committed to embedding environmental responsibility into our planning and decision-making and to identifying practical, achievable improvements that reflect the scale and nature of the Festival.

Our approach is guided by the principles of reduce, reuse and optimise: reducing unnecessary consumption and waste, reusing resources wherever possible and making the most efficient use of existing infrastructure, venues and materials.

Galway Comedy Festival aims to:

Reduce waste and unnecessary consumption associated with Festival delivery.

Reduce reliance on single-use and disposable materials where practical.

Prioritise digital communications and ticketing over printed materials.

Encourage sustainable travel by audiences, artists and Festival personnel.

Make efficient use of existing venues, equipment and infrastructure.

Consider environmental performance when selecting suppliers and contractors.

Source goods and services locally where appropriate and practicable.

Improve the sustainability of Festival production and operations year on year.

Encourage artists, venues, suppliers, partners and audiences to participate in our sustainability efforts.

The Festival will seek to minimise environmental impact throughout the planning and delivery process.

Where possible, existing venues, infrastructure, equipment and production resources will be used rather than creating temporary or single-use infrastructure.

Festival teams will consider environmental impact when making operational decisions relating to production, transport, accommodation, procurement, marketing, hospitality and event delivery.

Planning will aim to coordinate activities efficiently, reduce unnecessary journeys and avoid duplication of resources across the Festival.

Galway Comedy Festival is committed to reducing the amount of waste generated through its activities. We will:

Avoid unnecessary single-use materials wherever practical.

Prioritise reusable, recyclable or sustainably sourced materials.

Reuse signage, branding, equipment and production materials where appropriate.

Work with venues and suppliers to support appropriate waste separation and recycling.

Reduce unnecessary packaging associated with Festival procurement.

Consider the full lifecycle of materials when purchasing Festival assets.

Where materials cannot be reused, we will seek to ensure that they are recycled or disposed of responsibly.

Galway Comedy Festival operates a digital-first approach to marketing and audience communications.

Our website, social media channels, email marketing and digital ticketing infrastructure allow the Festival to communicate with large audiences while limited dependence on printed materials.

Where print is required, we will aim to:

Produce only the quantities reasonably required.

Use responsibly sourced or recycled materials where available and appropriate.

Avoid unnecessary duplication.

Design materials so that they can be reused where possible.

Work with printers and suppliers demonstrating responsible environmental practices.

We will also periodically review our digital systems and practices to ensure that they remain efficient and appropriate to the Festival’s needs.

Travel by audiences, artists, contractors and Festival personnel represents an important area in which environmental impact can be reduced.

Galway Comedy Festival will encourage the use of public transport, walking, cycling and shared transport where practical.

Where appropriate, audience communications will highlight public transport and sustainable travel options for reaching Festival venues.

For Festival operations, meetings will be conducted digitally where this is practical and beneficial, particularly where doing so avoids unnecessary travel.

Artist and production schedules will be coordinated as efficiently as possible to minimise unnecessary journeys while recognising the practical requirements of touring and live performance.

Galway Comedy Festival welcomes artists from across Ireland and internationally, and artist travel is an important part of delivering a diverse and high-quality programme. Where practical, the Festival will seek to:

Coordinate artists travel efficiently.

Reduce unnecessary individual transfers.

Consolidate journeys and transfers where possible.

Work with accommodation providers located conveniently in relation to Festival venues.

Consider environmental practices when establishing accommodation and travel partnerships.

These measures will be balanced against artist welfare, accessibility, scheduling and production requirements.

Environmental considerations will form part of Festival procurement and supplier decision-making where appropriate. When selecting goods and services, Galway Comedy Festival will consider factors including:

Environmental credentials and sustainability practices.

Durability and potential for reuse.

Packaging and waste.

Energy and resource efficiency.

Local sourcing.

Transportation requirements.

Appropriate environmental certification where relevant.

Where possible, the Festival will favour suppliers and contractors that can demonstrate responsible environmental practices while maintaining appropriate standards of quality, value and service.

As a multi-venue festival, Galway Comedy Festival works with venues that have different buildings, facilities, operating models and environmental capabilities.

The Festival will encourage participating venues and partners to consider practical sustainability measures within their own operations, including waste management, energy efficiency, responsible resource use and sustainable audience travel.

Where Galway Comedy Festival does not have direct operational control over a venue, we will work collaboratively with venue management to identify realistic improvements.

Where Galway Comedy Festival directly procures hospitality, consideration will be given to:

Local and seasonal sourcing where practical.

Reduction of single-use items.

Minimising food waste.

Responsible disposal or redistribution of surplus food where feasible.

Suppliers demonstrating sustainable practices.

The Festival will seek to reduce unnecessary energy and resource use within areas under its direct control.

Where possible, we will work with venues and production suppliers to make efficient use of lighting, sound, heating, equipment and other resources without compromising audience experience, accessibility, artist requirements or health and safety.

Sustainability is an ongoing process rather than a one-off commitment.

Galway Comedy Festival will periodically review its environmental practices and identify achievable areas for improvement. This may include monitoring areas such as travel, waste, procurement, print, energy use and supplier practices where suitable information is available.

The Festival will also remain informed about developments in sustainable cultural and event delivery and incorporate relevant good practice into its operations where appropriate.

Our ambition is to ensure that Galway Comedy Festival continues to grow and develop while doing so in a way that is increasingly environmentally responsible, resource-conscious and sustainable.