Events Ballinasloe hosts a number of annual events and festivals throughout the year. October Fair The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is held annually in October. It is reputedly the oldest horse fair in Europe and dates back to the 18th century. Chiefly agricultural in the past, it is now focused on the horse, and the associated festival attracts up to 80,000 visitors. A large market typically takes place, along with a number of events, fireworks, a dog show and a fun fair beside Ballinasloe's town theatre. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled as part of Ireland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Larry Reynolds' Weekend The Larry Reynolds' Weekend is a celebration of traditional Irish music. The event has run annually since 2014, in commemoration of Larry Reynolds, a former Ballinasloe native who emigrated to the United States in 1953 and brought the east Galway style of music to Boston. The festival sees a number of traditional music performances in the different bars around town. What would have been the seventh event, due to have taken place in September 2020, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dinny Delaney Festival The Dinny Delaney Festival is an annual traditional music festival, celebrating the traditions of uilleann pipes, in commemoration of Dinny Delaney, a late Ballinasloe native and well-known piper of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The festival includes concerts, masterclasses, sessions and livestreams. Other events The Strings Festival, a music event focusing on stringed instruments, was hosted by Ballinasloe library in July 2017 and 2018. A "Zombie Walk" is held at Halloween on the grounds of the Garbally estate. First held in 2015, the event involves "zombie" tour-guides bringing groups through Garbally woods. The 2019 Zombie Walk event was shortened to one day due to the weather, and the 2020 event was cancelled outright in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. A week long Christmas pantomime is held at Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre annually. First held in 2009, the local community put their own twist on classic fairytales, such as Sleeping Beauty in 2017, Aladdin in 2018, Rapunzel in 2019 and Cinderella in 2022. Local government Ballinasloe is a local electoral area and a municipal district of County Galway, electing six councillors to Galway County Council. It contains the electoral divisions of: Ballinasloe Town Commissioners came into being on 22 February 1841 by order of the Lord Lieutenant of