Originally, the Festival of Fools was the brainchild of Belfast Community Circus School and we would like to thank them for all their efforts in establish ing such a successful, dynamic event in the cultural calendar for Bel fast. This year is the centenary year of Belfast City Hall and to mark this event, the City Council has awarded grants to events celebrating the city of Belfast. The Festival of Fools is very grateful to Celebrate Belfast for their support this year. Next year marks the end of the Laganside Corporation, which has played a great role in regenerating many parts of Belfast. Laganside Corporation has been a crucial supporter of the Festival of Fools for the past three years and we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their support not just for this year, but in previous years too. They will be sorely missed by a number of cultural organisations operating in Belfast.

Sponsorship is vital to the future success and health of the Festival and we are very grateful to Premiere Circus, Ireland’s leading agency for circus and street artists, for their support of this year’s Festival of Fools. The Festival of Fools can now look forward to a healthy future thanks to the fantastic support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Lottery Access Programme, which has granted funding for the next three years. Our thanks go to the Arts Council for their faith and their support.