OTR’s outdoor shows and festivals’ census for 2010
Jim Carroll
It’s that time of the summer again. We’ve done this in 2007, 2008 and 2009 – a crowdsourced census to try to establish the number of festivals and outdoor shows which occur in Ireland every summer.
After the readers have had their say and remind me of the ones I’ve forgotten about or never heard about, the total usually comes in at around 70. I have a feeling this number may be down somewhat this year as not as many big stand-alone acts were touring this year. This meant fewer gigs in Dublin venues like Marlay Park and the RDS, while acts who were touring tended to take their show to the O2 instead. However, that said, it’s obvious that there are also a lot more smaller fests happening too.
Let’s get the ball rolling. List begins after the jump and currently stands at 75. Please list all additions in the comments field and I’ll update the list as the new ones arrive. Please note: (1) only events which run over the summer (ie from May to September) and (2) “outdoor shows” also cover tents.
Oxegen (Punchestown Racecourse, Co Kildare)
Electric Picnic (Stradbally, Co Laois)
Castle Palooza (Tullamore, Co Offaly)
CorkXSW (Skibereen, Co Cork)
Festival of World Cultures (Fun Laoghaire, Co Dublin)
Knockanstock (Blessington, Co Wicklow)
Westlife (Croke Park, Dublin)
Westlife (Lissadell House, Co Sligo)
Leonard Cohen (Lissadell House, Co Sligo)
Life (Belvedere House, Co Westmeath)
Michael Buble (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Live at the Marquee (Cork)
Pink (RDS, Dublin)
Pink (Thomond Park, Limerick)
Bob Dylan (Thomond Park, Limerick)
Paul McCartney (RDS, Dublin)
Glasgowbury (Moneyneany, Co Derry)
Milk (Ballinlough Castle, Co Meath)
Body & Soul (Ballinlough Castle, Co Meath)
Indiependence (Mitchelstown, Co Cork)
Astral Plains (Birr, Co Offaly)
Green Day (Marlay Park, Dublin)
Josh Ritter (Iveagh Gardens, Dublin)
Tori Amos (Iveagh Gardens, Dublin)
Paloma Faith (Iveagh Gardens, Dublin)
Planetlove (King’s Hall Showgrounds, Belfast)
Temple House Festival (Ballymote, Co Sligo)
Summerfest (Killarney, Co Kerry)
Dublin City Soul Festival (Dublin)
Northside Music Festival (Dublin)
Belsonic Festival (Belfast)
World Fleadh (Cavan)
Kings Of Concrete (Wood Quay, Dublin)
Le Cheile (Oldcastle, Co Meath)
Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival (Ballyshannon, Co Donegal)
Josh Ritter (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
Human League/Heaven 17 (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
Rodrigo y Gabriela (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
Midsummer Festival (Cork)
Earagail Arts Festival (Co Donegal)
Sea Sessions (Bundoran, Co Donegal)
Flatlake Festival (Clones, Co Monaghan)
Trans Festival (Belfast)
Junction Festival (Clonmel, Co Tipperary)
Decades Festival (Cork)
Jigs & Rigs (Rathlin Island, Co Antrim)
Magnet (Portlaoise, Co Laois
Ballinhassig Pitch Party (Co Cork)
Sibin Festival (Dublin)
Bray Summerfest (Bray, Co Wicklow)
Summer Blowout (Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin) CANCELLED
ADDITIONS
Forfey Festival (Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh)
Willowstone Festival (Killyleagh, Co Down)
Bulmers Live (Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin)
Spraoi (Waterford)
Festival of the Fires (Co Westmeath)
Greystones Americana & Roots Weekend (Greystones, Co Wicklow)
Bump (Clonlara, Co Clare)
No Place Like Dome (Temple House, Co Sligo)
Céilí Culture (Temple Bar, Dublin)
Sligo Jazz Project (Sligo)
Indie’Go World Festival (Fenagh, Co Carlow) CANCELLED
Athlone Music Festival (Co Westmeath)
Vantastival (Dunany, Co Louth)
Lovin’ Life Festival (Co Sligo)
Summer 2010 Sea Fest (Cromane, Co Kerry)
Mystik (Tullow, Co Carlow)
Kinsale Arts Week (Co Cork)
Festival 150 (Terenure College, Dublin)
Bandon Music Festival (Co Cork)
One Summer’s Eve (Dublin)
Open House Festival (Belfast)
Arthur’s Day (Dublin)
Feile ’10 (Belfast)
Buncrana Music & Arts (Co Donegal)
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (Belfast)
Take It to the Bridge (Banbridge, Co Down)

Bulmers Live at Leopardstown
http://www.bulmerslive.ie/index1.html
Forfey Festival
http://www.forfeyfestival.co.uk/
Willowstone Festival
http://www.willowstonefestival.com/
ShowYourBones/petee – thanks
Spraoi, Jim? Last weekend, all over the gaff in Waterford city.
Festival of the Fires? Mullingar
Oh, and Greystones Americana & Roots Weekend:
http://www.rootsweekend.com/
God I love lists.
theharro – thanks
Quint – ah yes, the only festival in the world where security was provided by dudes on horseback. On the list, thanks
G-Man – cheers – a new one on me
Bump in Clare
http://www.bumpfestival.com/
Céilí Culture in Temple Bar http://www.ceiliculture.com
Sligo Jazz Project http://www.sligojazz.ie
Cork Jazz http://www.guinnessjazzfestival.com/
Jo
Kilruddery Festival
Indie go world music Festival
Athlone Music Festival
The Dome at Semple Stadium
The Dome at Rose of Tralee
Summer blowout 2010 Donnybrook Stadium
Vantastival Festival
No Place Like Dome Festival
Lovin Life Festival
Astral Plain Festival
Summer 2010 Sea Fest featuring Republic of Loose at Jacks Coastgaurd Station, Cromane, Co Kerry
few more which might be missing :
-Kinsale Arts Week
-Id count the Trinity Ball aswell as it’s a serious money spinner
-This year there was also an outdoor “Festival 150″ at Terenure College featurning Coronas & Republic of Loose which did very well.
-Bandon Music Festival featuring Delorentos, Fred, Jack L
-West Cork Chamber Music Festival
One Summer’s Eve?
Also, any idea of stage times for this, Jim?
and Galway Arts Festival…….that has to be the lot now!
the mystik music festival, last weekend: http://www.irishclubbing.ie/vbforum/showthread.php?t=27672
Thanks for all those folks – have added some of them to the list and left out others.
JC – GAF, No Place Like Dome, Summer Blowout are listed above already – ahead of you (for once!). Also the Kilruddery thing was part of Bray Summerfest
thats grand Jim, think that’s the lot now.
a good website for regional festivals is http://www.aoifeonline.com
Do the marquee gigs not count as separate events if the Lisadell House gigs and Iveagh Garden shows do?
Do pointless corporate wastes-of-time count? If so, what about Arthur’s Day?
And our other patron saint – weren’t there some outdoor events in town on Paddy’s Day?
This whole post has the makings of a great app. I reckon.
Joe – no, made that rule in year one – Live at the Marquee treated as one
theharro – St Paddy’s Day falls outside the summer calender. Have stuck Arthur’s Day on
JC – that site is v good – and thanks for all those suggestions (Trinity Ball outside summer calender)
Observation (1) – the Republic Of Loose sure got around this summer
Observation (2) – a hell of a lot of new events on the list which obviously don’t require publicity from OTR, any other mainstream media outlet or indeed blogs in general to sell tickets!
http://www.corkfolkfestival.com/
some more cork stuff here: http://www.corkfestivalsforum.com/
Not a bad list there jim. I wonder what percentage of these festivals featured villagers? I, for one, am glad to see Marlay Park falling out of favour as a venue. It was always a bit rubbish and the parking and public transport were/are terrible. More iveagh gardens please.
Peter – Villagers appeared at 7% of the total so far (Live at the Marquee, Iveagh Gardens, Oxegen, Eargail, Electric Picnic)
Not all outdoors but multi venue festivals:
Kilkenny Roots
Open House in Belfast: http://www.openhousefestival.com/
Belfast just had the Feile 10 festival … They use a marquee.
Thanks for all those extras, folks.
Tim – Cork Folk Fest happens outside summer calender
Ben – Same with Kilkenny Roots
The Boyle Arts festival:
http://www.boylearts.com/2010/
Are the felice brothers still playing the open house festival with wilco? I heard the other day that one of them just had open heart surgery
Maybe a bit too small and local (feel free to leave off the list if you agree)…but the Buncrana Music and Arts Festival made a welcome return this year after a few years off. While there was the usual cover / tribute acts on show, there were some other excellent acts performing included the Coronas, Undertones, Altan, The Pyros and Inishowen Gospel Choir.
http://www.buncranamusicfestival.com/
bit off topic.. not sure whether you have seen this already jim but there is a good article about file sharing from former manager of every rock band in the world pete jenner. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100714/16215410220.shtml
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
http://www.cqaf.com
“Take it to the bridge” in banbridge in down on 3rd July. This was first year with futureheads and ASIWYFA on the bill.
Ballyshannon Folk Festival was on last weekend… we caught a rockin’ rendition of Wild Rover when we were passing thru!
http://www.ballyshannonfolkfestival.com/
Thanks for all those new additions, folks
Fergal – Boyle is more a “classical” fest than rock/pop so will leave that off
what happened at indie-go festival at the weekend?