Don’t Sleep On AVA Festival This Year
Don’t Sleep On AVA Festival This Year
Each year, AVA builds on the last. Some of the most legendary moments to come out of the Irish festival world have come out of Belfast from AVA, still we feel like the masses are sleeping on it. Happening on 29 and 30 May, there’s no better reason to make the trip up North. Grab your tickets here.
Rooted in dance music, AVA has always represented the DNA of Belfast and Northern culture. There’s truly no festival in Ireland like it. If you’re getting FOMO from seeing stellar B2Bs at Coachella, here is one of the only places you can experience the same.
However, this year, you can feel the hunger to expand from the festival. AVA is building on a backbone of dance acts such as KETTAMA, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Honey Dijon and Blawan with a more diverse set of genres for your palette. This is the only place you can still get a ticket to KNEECAP this summer and also the only Irish festival booking for the young GOAT deathtoricky.
The rise of KETTAMA has been a marvel to see. A man who has been a regular name on AVA’s lineup is now one of the biggest DJs in the world. Fresh off of multiple Coachella sets, which dominated the weekend nightlife, this is your only chance to still grab a ticket to see him in Ireland this summer. There isn’t a more sought after set than a KETTAMA homecoming billing. Don’t miss out.
AVA has always been about giving a platform to homegrown talent, so why not expand that scope from those behind the decks to those on the mic. Held in the Titanic Slipways in Belfast, the trip to AVA is the same length away from Dublin as Waterford is, just two hours. If you’re trying to switch up your summer, then this is the one.
One thing we’ve always loved about AVA is it attracts a community like no other in Ireland. Only the most tapped in electronic music fans can revel in artists such as Evian Christ, Takuya Nakamura and Calibre. All of these are legends in their own right but rarely get their flowers at festivals down here.
Takuya Nakamura might be one of the most unique acts from behind the decks in the world right now. Paired with his trumpet, we are taken on a journey like no other. Combining live instrumentals with jungle breaks, drum and bass loops and glitchy ambience, we end up with a set that sends chills down your spine and keeps you dancing.
Speaking of chills, Evian Christ is a must-see for any chronic music enjoyer. A pillar of the beloved WARP Records label, his left-field collaborations have contributed to the signature sound of artists such as Bladee, Danny Brown and even records as iconic as ‘Bound 2’.
Bringing it back home, there is truly no better place to see what Ireland’s electronic scene has to offer. Names such as Puzzy Wrangler, DIEBYVEG represent a burgeoning Irish landscape. In addition, acts such as OR:LA and Aika Mal show just how developed the homegrown sound has become.
What’s more, us lot down here have a day to sort the head after with the Bank Holiday. You can stick around and make a trip of Belfast or just nurse yourself back to strength after the fest.
There truly isn’t another festival like it in Ireland, you can grab your tickets to AVA here.
