The big count: OTR’s outdoor music shows and festivals’ census for 2011
Jim Carroll
As we’ve done in previous years (see 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010), it’s time for OTR’s crowdsourced census to try to establish the number of festivals and outdoor shows which occured in Ireland this summer.
Last year, the number came in at 75, which is about average for this census. What we’ve seen this summer, though, is a continuing reduction in the standalone big artist show. In years gone by, you had tons more gigs at the RDS, Lansdowne Road, Cork Park, Punchestown, Marlay Park, Malahide Castle and other venues. This year, there was Take That, Neil Diamond (we’ll never forget those radio ads, Neil), The Script, Bon Jovi and Prince at those Dublin parks and that was that. Everyone else took shelter (and a fee) under a festival umbrella rather than trying to go it alone.
But that doesn’t mean a huge dip in the overall tally because there has been a corresponding growth spurt in the number of smaller festivals. Over the course of this census, we’ve seen an increased profile for the likes of Castlepalooza and Indiepedence and they’re now joined in the “established” category by events like Sea Sessions (the only survivor of the music-and-surf fests following the cancellation of Cold Pro and the non-appearance again of Cois Fharraige, despite plans for it to move to a new site in Co Wexford), Knockanstockan, Life, Glasgowbury, Vantastival, Temple House and Body & Soul. We can confidently predict a couple of more additions to the “city festival” list in 2012 following the successful debut of Forbidden Fruit. Small is the new large and that’s a trend which will be apparent again in 2012.
Please feel free to list any festivals I’ve overlooked in the comments field below and I’ll update the list as they arrive. Please note: (1) only events which run over the summer (ie from May Bank Holiday weekend to September) are counted, (2) “outdoor shows” cover gigs in tents, (3) festivals include multi-day or multi-act events in conventional venues and (4) we count Live at the Marquee and @ the Park as one event.
Current total at the time of writing is 109.
Oxegen (Punchestown Racecourse, Co Kildare)
Electric Picnic (Stradbally, Co Laois)
Castlepalooza (Tullamore, Co Offaly)
Indiependence (Mitchelstown, Co Cork)
Sea Sessions (Bundoran, Co Donegal)
Forbidden Fruit (Dublin)
Body & Soul (Ballinlough Castle, Co Meath)
Knockanstockan (Blessington, Co Wicklow)
Glasgowbury (Moneyneany, Co Derry)
Prince (Malahide Castle, Dublin)
Take That (Croke Park, Dublin)
Life (Belvedere House, Co Westmeath)
Neil Diamond (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
The Script (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Bon Jovi (RDS, Dublin)
Live at the Marquee (Cork)
@ the Park (Dublin)
Vantastival (Dunany, Co Louth)
CorkXSW (Skibereen, Co Cork)
Vital (Bangor, Co Down)
JLS (Thomond Park, Limerick)
Planetlove (Shane’s Castle, Co Antrim)
Live at the Beach (Portrush, Co Antrim)
Temple House Festival (Ballymote, Co Sligo)
Summerfest (Killarney, Co Kerry)
Dublin City Soul Festival (Dublin)
Northside Music Festival (Dublin)
Belsonic Festival (Belfast)
Le Cheile (Oldcastle, Co Meath)
Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival (Ballyshannon, Co Donegal)
Bell X1 (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
De La Soul (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
Blondie (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
Afrocubism (Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival)
Sibin Festival (Slane, Co Meath)
Midsummer Festival (Cork)
Earagail Arts Festival (Co Donegal)
Flatlake Festival (Clones, Co Monaghan)
Bulmers Live (Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin)
Spraoi (Waterford)
Waterford Music Festival (Waterford)
Festival of the Fires (Co Westmeath)
Junction Festival (Clonmel, Co Tipperary)
Bump (Clonlara, Co Clare)
Open House Festival (Belfast)
Arthur’s Day (Dublin)
Revive (Thurles, Co Tipperary)
The Green Village (Castletown Geoghegan, Co Westmeath)
Spirit of Folk (Dunderry Park, Co Meath)
The Reich Effect (Cork)
Kinsale Arts Week (Co Cork)
Forfey Festival (Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh)
Willowstone Festival (Killyleagh, Co Down)
Greystones Americana & Roots Weekend (Greystones, Co Wicklow)
No Place Like Dome (Temple House, Co Sligo)
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (Belfast)
World Fleadh (Castlebar)
Sligo Jazz (Sligo)
Mystik (Blessington, Co Wicklow)
Bandon Music Festival (Co Cork)
Clonakilty Waterfront Festival (Co Cork)
Feile An Phobail (Belfast)
Youth Rocks Arts Festival (Portlaoise, Co Laois)
Kings Of Concrete (Wood Quay, Dublin)
Jigs & Rigs (Rathlin Island, Co Antrim)
Decades Festival (Cork)
Sunflowerfest (Co Down)
Buncrana Music & Arts (Co Donegal)
Bray Summerfest (Bray, Co Wicklow)
Celtic Rock Festival (Killarney, Co Kerry)
ADDITIONS
Stendhal Festival (Co Derry)
Heineken West Fest (Limerick)
The Marquee at Drumlish
Westfest (Mayo)
Pitch Party 2011 (Ballinhassig GAA Club)
Ill Divo (Kilruddery House Gardens, Co Wicklow)
Colm Wilkison (Kilruddery House Gardens, Co Wicklow)
Blue Breeze Music Festival (Co Offaly)
Shamrock (Cavan) CANCELLED
Kings Of Leon (Slane – yeah, I know, how did I forget that one?)
Live at the Milk Market (Limerick – Coronas, Villagers)
Fairy Hill Festival (Galway)
Bryan Ferry (Kilruddery House Gardens, Co Wicklow)
Escala (Kilruddery House Gardens, Co Wicklow)
Navan Live (Co Meath)
Ballyanne Fest (New Ross, Co Wexford)
Rockin’ Road (Drumcondra, Dublin)
Ballina Music Festival (Co Mayo)
Healyfest (Ballycastle, Co. Mayo)
Cold Pro (Co Clare) CANCELLED
Lark In the Park (Co Down) CANCELLED
Celtronic (Derry)
Dublin Fringe Festival
Castle Variations (Co Kilkenny)
Little Big Weekend (Cork)
iPicnic Family Fun Day (Curragh Racecourse, Co Kildare)
(Oranmore Celtic Festival (Galway)
Homegrown Music Festival (Killarney, Co Kerry)
Carrickmacross Summer Festival (Co Monaghan)
KIlkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival
Kilkenny Arts Festival
Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival (Co Waterford)
Castlebar Blues Festival (Co Mayo)
Traditional Tattoo & World Culture Festival (Cobh, Co Cork)
Galway West End Music Festival (Galway)
Fleadh Cheoil (Cavan)
Ukulele Hooley by the Sea ’11 (Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin)
Helium (Ballymahon, Co. Longford)
NorthSouth (Dundalk Co Louth) CANCELLED
Ballyfermot Rocks (Dublin)
Secret Garden Festival (Martinstown House, Co Kildare)
Johnny Kennan Banjo Festival (Longford)
Ballyshannon Folk festival (Co Donegal)
@ 49
Being from Roscommon myself i didnt even want to draw attention to a lamb festival or any notions of sheep stealing ( i caught Fergal above one dark night out in my shed…..what he was at i dont know ! ) which is why im only mentioning it now !
Most of the music took place in a pub called J.J Harlows…….fine venue actually that regualrly hosts Americana , Bluegrass and Roots bands
we played at the tatoo and world arts festival in Cobh Cork in June think it was , great weekend !
Castlebar Blues Festival!
What about the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival ?
Was at it last year but not sure if it went ahead this year….
What happened to the Festival out in Citywest that Richie Hawtin and Chris Liebing were supposed to be playing at?
Did it go ahead?
paub – it was cancelled, but I think the people involved are behind the Mansion Weekender at Fairways Hotel, Dundalk on Oct 29 & 30
I just saw a poster for a Ukulele Hooley in Dun Laoghaire for August 21st on the way home there
Dont think i can even so much as look at a Ukulele after hearing the tripe that is Eddie Vedder’s latest solo album
Hands down the worst album of the year so far in my book…
Helium, Ballymahon, Co. Longford.
http://www.heliumfestival.com/index.html
Poor headline act but otherwise this was an fantastic day, especially since everyone organised and worked at it for free (apart from the headline acts, that is).
one more for you the north south festival, due to take place this weekend, but cancelled
http://www.northsouth.ie/where.html
18.
August 9, 2011
11:29 am
And there is one called Healy Fest in Killala, Co Mayo…..
Comment by Scarecrows of the Stipe
Healyfest Music Festival takes place in Ballycastle, Co. Mayo. Check out our Facebook page. It’ll be back bigger and better again in 2012!
How’s about the upcoming Fleadh in cavvvvvvan?
Gotta be one in their for the breffni blues
Thanks for all of the above, folks. Total now stands at 105.
Does Puck Fair starring the Killorglin and district pipe band count?
http://www.puckfair.ie/viewnews.php?id=244
punk – it’s a bit like the Lamb festival in Roscommon – more about the goats than the music. Have to draw the line somewhere!
From my experience I would not touch Event Elephant with a barge pole. Cant say too much for fear of libel but what i will say is BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE
Banjo festival Longford , Ballyshannon Folk festival
@ 64
There’s money to be made in them lambs it seems !
http://www.rte.ie/news/news_more.html
Have you got the Festivel of World Cultures in Dun Laoghaire on the list? Couldn’t see it last time i went through it.
Frank4short – Festival of World Cultures has been cancelled – http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2010/10/26/no-festival-of-world-cultures-in-2011/
Bluegrass returns to its roots! 17th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival bound for Dunmore East
After 16 years, almost 1,000 gigs, 150 bands and artists and a whole heap of hoopin’, hollerin’, pickin’ and clawin’, the 17th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival is returning to the picturesque fishing village of Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.
The festival takes place from August 25th to August 28th and in 2011is bringing together an enviable line up of bluegrass artists for Ireland’s largest free bluegrass music festival.
This year’s complete line – up for the 17th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival includes:
• BENDING THE STRINGS
• KNOTTY PINE
• MIKEY & THE SCALLYWAGS
• MONS WHEELER BAND
• LITTLE ASS BIRDS
• DESERT ACES
• MOLLY HICKS
• GYPSY REBEL RABBLE
• SOUTHERN WELFARE
• HANWAY MURRAY
• WELL ENOUGH ALONE
Pretty sure there is a Galway Americana Festival on next month in the city too….
Is it just me or is Northside Music Festival (Dublin) listed twice?
Lyn – yep, you’re right, apologies.