The best sustainable displays for Carlow Arts Festival are the ones you can reuse. That means undated graphics on frames you'll put up again and again, PVC-free or mesh banners for outdoor spots, and recycled fabrics for tables and lanyards. The next festival runs from Thursday 3 to Monday 7 June 2027 across Carlow town. Here's our advice for sponsors, local businesses and community groups planning their print for it.

Carlow Arts Festival 2027 dates and setting

Carlow Arts Festival takes over the town for the June bank holiday weekend, and it has already put out its volunteer call for CAF27. It covers many art forms, from street arts and circus to theatre, music and visual arts, and the festival says it welcomes over 20,000 visitors a year. Events are spread around the town rather than packed into one hall. Plan your display around the space you'll actually have, not a standard exhibition booth.

What you need to know	Details
Dates	Thursday 3 to Monday 7 June 2027
Festival HQ	Grounds of Carlow College St Patrick's, College Street, beside VISUAL and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre (getting here)
Event times	Listed in the festival programme. Many events are free with no booking (how to book)
Parking	Limited at HQ, so plan deliveries and set-up early

The festival usually announces its programme in the spring, and it will show you which streets and courtyards will be busiest.

How businesses take part, and why to ask before you order

The festival doesn't publish a booking route for trade stands or market stalls, or any stand fees or pitch sizes. The main way in for a business is sponsorship and partnership, which the festival offers for 2027 and later years. The benefits can include on-site signage, product sampling and branding on festival materials. The funders and partners page shows who backed the last edition.

The other way in is your own front door. The festival recommends local places to eat, stay and play, and town-centre cafés, pubs, shops and hotels all get the bank holiday crowds. If you want any space on festival ground, agree the size and position with the festival first. We'd much rather print your banner once, at the right size.

Sustainable display options that suit an arts festival

The greenest display is one you use for years, so we'd start with a good frame and change the graphic when you need to. Eco friendly pull up banners go up in a minute and pack into a carry case. You can take the same one to your next trade show. For a sponsor backdrop or a hotel foyer, an eco friendly straight zipper wall or eco friendly curved zipper wall gives you a large fabric graphic with no joins, and it folds down small.

Outdoors, the weather decides. Early June in Carlow can bring sun one hour and a stiff breeze the next. On railings and courtyard fences we'd use eco friendly PVC-free mesh banners, because the wind passes through them instead of pulling on the ties. In sheltered spots, PVC-free banners give you a solid print surface without the PVC. On counters and sampling tables, eco friendly printed tablecloths and eco friendly table runners can be washed and used again. Recycled rPET lanyards make your staff and volunteers easy to spot in a crowd.

A small display that looks good without the waste

Stick to one main message, two or three brand colours and plenty of clear space. A cluttered display costs more to print and is harder to read across a busy street. Don't print "2027" or the festival dates on your main graphics. Put dated details on a small insert that's cheap to replace, and the banner will still work next summer.

Modular kit lasts longer. An interchangeable pop up banner lets you swap in a graphic for a new campaign and keep the base. For longer details such as menus or event times, put a QR code on a Foamex PVC board so you don't have to reprint when they change. Keep the essentials (who you are and what you offer) in large print for people who won't scan it.

Festival weekend display checklist

Confirm your space, size and any power supply with the festival before you finalise your artwork.
Weigh down and tie down anything outdoors, including feather flags and A-frame pavement signs.
Use flags for height so people can find you over the crowds.
Check your headline can be read from across the street.
Pack spares: cable ties, clips, tape and a basic repair kit.
Take everything away afterwards and store graphics dry, in their original bags.

When to order your festival displays

Work back from Thursday 3 June 2027. Confirm your space and wording first, then leave time for artwork changes before production starts. Order standard items like pull up banners and flags at least two weeks before the festival. Fabric walls, large quantities and anything made to order need longer. Check our current turnaround when you ask for a quote, because a bank holiday weekend can shift delivery dates.

Planning for other summer arts events too? Our Galway International Arts Festival stand checklist and Bloomsday Festival stand checklist cover the same kit in different settings.

FAQs

Can display boards and signage be reused after the festival?

Yes, if you plan for it. Leave dates off the artwork, store everything somewhere dry and choose frames that take replacement graphics, and the same kit will do several events. Roll fabric graphics loosely and store boards flat.

Are recyclable displays as durable as standard options?

They are when they're used for the right job. PVC-free and mesh banners can go outdoors, but lightweight card boards are for dry indoor spaces only. Before you count on recycling a display when it's finished, check what your local recycling service accepts.

Are there sustainability rules exhibitors need to follow?

The festival hasn't published display or environmental rules for businesses, so choosing an eco display is up to you. It does encourage people to walk, cycle, take public transport or carpool to the festival. If you're a sponsor, any conditions for your signage will come from the festival directly.

Which display works best for a café or shop during the festival?

For most premises, a pavement sign outside and a pull up banner inside will do the job. If your door is off the main route, add a teardrop flag to help people find you.

Planning your Carlow Arts Festival display

Once the festival has confirmed your space, get in touch for a quote. We'll help you choose reusable displays that work in Carlow and at your events long after it.

Sustainable Display Solutions for Carlow Arts Festival