Latest news with #BeyondThePale
The Journal
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Are small music festivals in Ireland becoming a thing of the past? Organisers weigh in
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago ORGANISERS OF INDEPENDENT music festivals in Ireland have said that mounting costs are making it harder for them to keep going each year. Earlier this month there was confusion about whether major player Beyond The Pale would go ahead, and beloved smaller festivals are not going ahead this summer, including Bundoran Sea Sessions, Body and Soul, and Wild Roots. In Ballyshannon, Donegal, organiser Barry O'Neill says that it's currently uncertain whether the famed Rory Gallagher Festival will be able to go ahead next year either. It's been a staple of Ireland's independent music scene since 2002, and was originally founded as a way to honour the late great musician, but has since grown into a real tourism highlight for Donegal each summer. 'We attract 15,000 people each year and they come from all over, so this festival has become really essential to not just Ballyshannon, but the entire North West,' he said. Nevertheless, O'Neill says that the festival is struggling. 'We've had to launch a GoFundMe to try and secure next year, and that's not where we want to be,' he said. The Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon. He's calling on the Department of Culture to roll out a 'more transparent' funding model for grants, which he says would help to safeguard the future of smaller festivals . 'I know for the fact that there are festivals in the likes of Galway and Dublin that get more funding, despite the fact that they are bringing in the same number of people as us, and that's because of the city they are in. 'There is not a single TD or Senator who understands what it's like to organise an event like this in rural Ireland, and that's why I don't think there will be real change on this, but we need a more transparent funding model,' he said. Festivals in Ireland receive grants and support through local authorities, the Arts Council, Culture Ireland, and the Department of Culture's small scale local festivals and summer schools funding scheme, which allocates up to €5000 for not-for-profit local events. O'Neill says that requirements from state bodies around security, environmental concerns, and copyright fees from the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO). 'We're being charged by IMRO for the first time for 2024 and we're going through the process at the moment, I think it's something like 3% on each ticket. We support artists being paid, but all of these costs from state bodies add up, and the funding we receive doesn't balance them out,' he said. 'Suppliers want to be paid in advance' Craig Hughes is the founder of Night and Day Festival which has been staged in the Lough Key Forest Park in Roscommon for the last four years, and is currently taking place this weekend, with headlining sets from folk legend Paul Brady, KT Tunstall, José Gonaléz and more (some last minute tickets are available here ). It has a capacity of 4,500 people. 'Costs are up around 20% from when we first started. That's insurance, but it's also the practical costs that rise each year with inflation,' he said. Hughes said that the uncertainty around larger festivals has impacted independent operators. Advertisement (Beyond The Pale, a major festival that has been taking place in Co Wicklow for years, said it 'almost stumbled' close to its opening day earlier this month, but it went ahead in the end thanks to financial help from an operator that stepped in.) 'Independent festivals are being asked to pay for everything upfront, including artist's fees in many cases, so it can create cash flow problems,' he said. Hughes added that the best way people can support smaller festivals is by buying their tickets early if they can. 'It gives us the ability to plan more, and more flexibility with booking acts. Thankfully, we've had great support since we've started, but across the industry people have noticed an increasing tendency for people to book late. 'Weather is a big factor for people, but we have three high top tents and most festivals have provisions in place,' he said. 'Micro-festivals are popping off' The Another Love Story festival takes place from August 23rd to 25th this year in Meath. celeste burdon celeste burdon Emmet Condon has been running the Another Love Story festival at Killyon Manor in Meath for the last two years. This year the festival has gone from a three-day to two-day event, which Condon said has helped with ticket sales. 'They've flown out the door this year. People want intimate to mean intimate, and they want less time commitment, so two days works for them,' he said. Condon is now running a pop-up 'Love is a Stranger' mirco-festivals that offer 24 hours of live music, with one having already taken place in Sligo back in May, and another planned for this Augus t in Ballyvolane, Cork, with a capacity of 500-700 people. 'The interest in those has been huge,' he said. Condon said that in the last ten years the Irish market has expanded massively. 'We're part of that, obviously, but as the major festivals get bigger, and this year the likes of Electric Picnic sold out in minutes, smaller festivals are getting squeezed out, and that's what we're seeing,' he said. 'Small festivals are increasingly on the breadline between ticket sales and what corporate sponsorship they can attract,' Condon added. He said that when he started out, ALS had to sell 60% of its tickets to break even. 'That's probably at 90% now. People see people getting together listening to music in a field and assume the organisers are driving away in a Porsche, that's just not the case,' Condon further said. He agrees with Barry O'Neill of Rory Fest that funding models need to change. 'There's good support there for small-scale community events, and the major festivals are flying it, but for smaller commercial festivals, they are caught between those two camps, and they are struggling,' he said. He argues that smaller festivals offer some of the best live music experiences people can have. 'You really do get to know everyone by the end of it. We have 2000 people coming this year, and many of them will come away with new friends. There's something special about it that just makes it different to a huge, commercially driven event,' he said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Beyond the Pale: All hands on deck ahead of three-day music festival
Despite its recent challenges, Beyond the Pale is set to welcome almost 12,000 festivalgoers to the Glendalough Estate in Co Wicklow this weekend. On Thursday afternoon, organisers and crew were battling not just the rain but time after 'a little bit of a hiccup' paused on-site operations last weekend. Problems arose on Saturday due to financial difficulties. However, the following day, organisers announced that a 'very highly regarded operator' had stepped in, securing the festival's fate for 2025. Site manager Bob Doyle said despite the hiccup, they 'clawed it back', and he thinks the experience 'brought the team even closer together'. READ MORE 'We had a little bit of a hiccup last week which threw a curveball into the situation,' he said. 'It was very upsetting and emotional on Saturday morning, but we got over that, we made peace with it, no one died and then we got up the next day and started putting up all the stuff we spent all day taking down.' Promoter Declan Forde was unavailable for comment on the new investor, nor were organisers present on site able to offer any further clarity. According to Mr Doyle, however, the financial aid has been 'a game changer'. 'We lost a load of days, but the amount of goodwill surrounding this festival is colossal. We've been getting phone calls going: 'We've heard about the story, can we come up and just volunteer?'' [ Beyond the Pale festival to go ahead with help from 'a very highly-regarded operator', organisers say Opens in new window ] The recent downpours have added an additional challenge for this year's crunch-time preparation, with crews trying to keep the place pristine for the descending crowd. Festival coordinator Emily Brennan has worked with Beyond the Pale since it started four years ago. 'It's always growing every year. It's on a good trajectory,' she said. 'It's grown physically in size – we use more of the site now and more stages. We've a lot more sponsorship.' However, she said the current climate was tough for festivals, with everything far more expensive than a few years ago. 'There's just that cash flow thing in terms of the weeks before a festival. You make so much money at the festival in terms of bar sales and last-minute ticket purchases ... but you need to pay all the suppliers in advance so it becomes a real balancing act.' Volunteer manager Arthur Caulfield is busy rallying his 100-strong troop, spread between painting installations and signage and 'a lot of light manual work'. [ How to stage an Irish music festival: From All Together Now to Beyond the Pale Opens in new window ] Mr Caulfield is looking forward to a bit of time off on Sunday, when he hopes to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy some of the acts like TV on the Radio who will headline that night. Artist Leah Hewson created one of the festival's quirky installations which promises to provide some colourful contrast to the weekend's potentially drab weather. She is enthusiastic about Beyond the Pale's commitment to platforming 'artists doing cool things' and says her work is part of a range of 'fun things to explore' on the grounds of Glendalough Estate. A blend of neon and iridescence, the 'jigsaw-puzzle' installation has been 'reimagined to exist in an outdoor setting', having previously been exhibited in New York's Art on Paper Fair in 2022. Scheduled for June 13th to 15th, the music festival features a line-up including Jon Hopkins , Róisín Murphy , TV On The Radio, Broken Social Scene, Marc Rebillet and Boney M.
Irish Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Everything you need to know as Beyond The Pale kicks off in Wicklow
Beyond The Pale kicks off on the Glendalough Estate today, running until Sunday - with a swath of incredible acts playing the Wicklow festival over the weekend. The line-up this year includes Róisín Murphy, Jon Hopkins, legends Boney M and The Sugar Hill Gang, Brooklyn rockers TV on the Radio, Marc Rebillet, berlioz and Broken Social Scene play their only Irish shows this summer with BritAward winners Ezra Collective. As well as homegrown acts Samantha Mumba, Booka Shade, King Kong Company, Houseplants, Soda Blonde, Fionn Regan and many, many more amazing music from Ireland and internationally. Alongside the main music line-up, the weekend will see Irvine Welsh present Men In Love, a literary trip down the rabbit hole of masculinity and disco, accompanied by a riotous on-stage conversation and the accompanying spinning of choons. Haus of Wig brings Dublin's fiercest drag icons for an unforgettable stage takeover, The Wild Geeze deliver their riotous queer cabaret experience while Rathaus invites you to get your Berlin club culture vibes on. Abandoman, the freestyle comedy-rap phenomenon, turns audience suggestions into unmissable musical chaos. Lisette Krol, world pole-dancing champion, unleashes gravity-defying spectacle as part of Duncan Disorderly's VIP House Party. Duncan is best known to Irish audiences from their show-stopping appearance in THISISPOPBABY's hit show WAKE. Beyond the Plate, the food strand of Beyond the Pale Festival, will also take place from June 13 to June 15. With music, art, wellness and food all in one vibrant space, it's the ultimate weekend escape. Beyond The Pale is just 30 minutes from Dublin on the beautiful Glendalough Estate in what has become the top highlight of summer for discerning music, arts, food and wellness fans. Here is all you need to know for the weekend: Cash or card? Some vendors at the festival will accept cash but cards are used mostly. There will be no ATMs on the site so it is advisable to bring some cash with you. Take the bus Marathon Coaches are providing buses to Beyond the Pale including return buses from Dublin City to Glendalough Estate on Friday 13, Saturday 14, and Sunday, 15 June. Direct bus tickets to the festival site are also available for holders of single-day tickets, as well as weekend tickets holders. These Direct Buses will go from and to Dublin City centre and also from and to Bray Dart Station. More info available from Marathon Coaches. It's an easy and hassle free way to get to and from Beyond the Pale, ensuring you can chill out and enjoy the festival, while also helping us minimise the carbon footprint of the festival. Take the DART Marathon Coaches are also providing bus transfers to and from Bray DART Station to Beyond the Pale. How to get there on the road: How to get Home - Pickups at end of Night Tickets are still available: There are a limited number of tickets available here. Access / Opening Times: Car Parks – General Admission Families/Wheelchair Campervan/Caravans Arena Times
The Journal
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Beyond the Pale organisers confirm music festival will go ahead after reports of cancellation
LAST UPDATE | 7 Jun ORGANISERS OF THE Beyond the Pale music festival have confirmed this evening that the festival will go ahead next week as planned. This was despite earlier confusion and reports that staff and vendors had been informed otherwise, and that the festival had gone into liquidation. In a social media post, festival organisers acknowledged that today, they 'very nearly stumbled', while ticket holders and festival vendors had waited for clarity on whether the county Wicklow festival would go ahead. The statement said, 'Look, it's unbelievably tough out there for independent festivals, venues, promoters, artists…we all know that. 'But the festival gods smiled upon us, and the fate of Beyond the Pale is secure for 2025, and for many years to come. Advertisement 'Thanks for bearing with us today, thanks for all the messages and gestures of support… and see you at Glendalough next week!' Look, it's unbelievably tough out there for independent festivals, venues, promoters, all know that. Today we very nearly stumbled, ngl. But the festival gods smiled upon us, and the fate of Beyond the Pale is secure for 2025, and for many years to come. Thanks for… — Beyond The Pale (@BeyondThePaleIE) June 7, 2025 The earlier announcement of the festival's abrupt closure is understood to have come as a major shock to locals and the festival's employees, as well as causing confusion for ticket holders. However, it now seems the festival, which is based at the Glendalough Estate, is scheduled to take place next weekend from 13 to 15 June. Beyond the Pale is comprised of music, food, wellness, and arts. Acts including Jon Hopkins, Róisín Murphy, TV on The Radio, and Marc Rebillet are set to headline the weekend festival. This year would mark the fourth outing of the event. It is set to be artists Róisín Murphy, Jon Hopkins, berlioz and Broken Social Scene's only Irish show played this summer, while band Boney M's appearance would be their first Irish show in close to a decade. TV on the Radio's set at the festival would be their first show in Ireland in 17 years. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Beyond the Pale organisers promise 'party of a lifetime' after festival saved at last minute
A last-minute deal has saved Beyond the Pale music and arts festival, organisers announced this evening. A "very highly-regarded operator" sympathized with the plight of festival organisers after a sudden loss of expected finance and offered to help yesterday. On Saturday morning, stakeholders had been told the festival had to be cancelled due to a last minute finance issue and crews had begun to disassemble the site. But festival organisers announced on Saturday evening that despite a 'stumble' Beyond The Pale had been saved and would 'absolutely' go ahead next weekend, to the relief of thousands of anxious artists, ticket holders and suppliers. On Sunday evening, festival organisers issued another statement, thanking everyone for "bearing with us over the past two days." "We want to share more about what happened and to reassure everybody that the festival is secure and we are full throttle for next weekend and beyond," the statement said. "A festival needs significant cashflow over the festival month. It's a huge challenge for all festivals in their first few years, and this week, an essential piece of expected finance that would have helped us through the period fell through. "Whilst we had not made any announcement we were cancelling, we did have to pause the work that was happening on site. As it happens, the online chatter led to us being approached by a very highly-regarded operator who sympathised with the struggles of putting on events as an independent operator, and offered to help. "We spent the day figuring it out together, and then put out a short public statement the moment we could." To reassure ticket holders, artists, vendors and everyone else involved, the festival is going ahead as planned, with the same infrastructure, line-up, safety and experience that everybody expects, the statement said. "The next few days are going to be very busy, but we will be ready to open the campsites at 12noon and the arena at 4.30pm on Friday. "It was incredible to see so much support for the event over the day, and it was this passion - from all of you on social media, on site and beyond - that put the wheels in motion for us to get the show golden for next weekend. "So - we all did this together. Thank you all. Your support means everything to our team. Let's have the party of a lifetime,." Perplexed Crews were back on site at Beyond The Pale music and arts festival on Sunday, rebuilding infrastructure removed the previous day. "Everyone was back on site building again after the 11th hour reprieve," one person working at the festival said. 'People I've spoken to here are a bit perplexed, but relieved. 'It was a crazy situation [yesterday] but it's 100% going ahead now,' they said. The popular music festival, which is scheduled to run from Friday to Sunday, June 13-15, is expected to draw thousands to Co. Wicklow over the weekend. People have been working at the site for weeks, setting up stages and organizing the scenic site in Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow. A fun fair, large marquees, tents, and security fencing have been erected. The festival line-up for this year includes Jon Hopkins, Roisin Murphy, TV on the Radio, Boney M and Jeff Mills. Techno DJ Dave Clarke, who is on the Beyond The Pale line up on Saturday night, posted on social media saying that he would be coming to Ireland regardless of any confusion over the festival being cancelled and he would also play a free gig on Sunday in Pawn Shop, Dublin. 'Hopefully all is well for BTP festival and it goes ahead. We need independent events in a world full of mass consumption,' he wrote. Beyond the Pale won Best Small Festival at last year's Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) awards. It first launched in 2022 with under 5,000 attendees. It doubled to 10,000 by 2024 with 15 stages and had 12,000 planned this year. Tickets are available on the event's website - €268.95 for a three-day campaign pass and €126.90 for a one-day ticket.
