Latest news with #CraigHughes
The Irish Sun
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I've got a normal job but my surprise side hustle means thousands flock to my music festival with 00s icon headliner
AN Irish festival trailblazer has lifted the lid on running a fledgling music event – from the "chaos" of organising the huge event to bizarre dressing room requests. Craig Hughes also revealed how scouting acts for next year's shindig has already begun before a single note has been played at this week's festival. 4 Night and Day Festival will take over Lough Key Forest Park in Roscommon this weekend 4 Craig Hughes is one of the organisers of the festival But there is also a growing trend among festival fans that is putting significant planning pressure on organisers. Craig started a side hustle as one of the organisers of the festival back in 2022, and he has been fine tuning the event each year since. KT Tunstall, The Stunning, Paul Brady and The Wailers are all on the bill for this weekend's edition, along with Irish favourites Something Happens and Sultans of Ping. Now in its fourth year, the festival will see thousands flock to the Lough Key Forest Park, in Boyle, Co And Craig told how cash flow is the biggest area of concern for such gatherings, which is why tickets for large music festivals go on sale so far in advance. He explained: 'One reason is to get But Craig, whose main career is in journalism, told how a few bum notes were encountered during the initial phase of the project, first held on the grounds of Clonalis House in Castlerea. Craig revealed: 'You think you have everything under control the first year and it's inevitably chaos as you're trying to grapple with bringing thousands of people into a venue safely." Despite any teething issues, the venture has become a fully-fledged family business aiming to pull out all the stops. Recounting its beginnings, Craig told us: 'It all started when my uncle Brendan Hurley moved back from working with the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where he was putting on big events. "He's a sound engineer and production manager. We're from TOP TIPS FOR ATTENDING MUSIC FESTIVALS NIGHT and Day organiser Craig Hughes shared his top tips for those attending music festivals this summer. First up, he has urged anyone planning their outfits for a festival to take into account the Irish weather. He told the Irish Sun: 'Whenever you go to a festival in Ireland you should pack for all "We're fortunate we have our tents but you should always have a rain jacket, but also pack for the sun, bring some cream.' If you regularly find yourself waking up through the night to the sound of the He said: 'It's really important to bring earplugs. We have music go on until 3am, so if you don't want to have bass ringing in your ears until the morning you should have some earplugs.' Craig also recommended packing a good pair of shoes, good socks and of course, 'your dancing shoes'. Craig added: "We dragged in another 'It's bringing together a broad skill set - so me with the communications and media side of things, Brendan having done a lot of production management and sound engineering, and then Dermot with the site layout and service delivery side of things - and any other family members dragged in across the weekend.' The festival has seen a huge amount of growth since its humble beginnings in 2022. But with an expansion in popularity comes increased workload and preparation. PROLONGED PLANNING Planning for a summer Craig explained: 'One reason is to get "The second is to capture that feel good factor that people have after having an amazing weekend at the festival - that's the starting point, even at the moment we're already looking at acts for next year, seeing who's available and the nature of [their] touring, especially for the bigger acts, they put it out a long way in advance. "After that, you're looking at communications plans. We announce our first headline acts around November/December, so that's the first big milestone in terms of planning and pushing it out there.' NEW ADDITIONS This year, the team have added two new stages, including a late-night DJ platform on the venue's Moylurg Tower, which will include live animations projected onto the structure that are synced with the music. He continued: 'You're thinking away at those new projects all throughout the year. "Then as you come into the final stages you're dealing with the real nuts and bolts; the logistics of the tents arriving, health and safety issues, toilets arriving. "They really come into focus now as well as your final push that as many people know as possible that the festival is going on.' Taking the set-up, site costs, artist fees and insurance into account, Craig and the team typically look at expenditure that runs into the region of hundreds of thousands of euros. FESTIVAL FINANCES And unsurprisingly paying the artists is one of the most expensive aspects. Craig said: 'It all adds up and for us insurance hasn't been one of the biggest cost drivers but everything else really has increased since we started. "Even artist fees have gone up, especially the big international ones because inflation has hit the cost of touring, whether that's from them bringing their own sound engineer with them or the increased logistical costs.' These financial constraints are a major reason why many festivals use tier ticket pricing. You think you have everything under control the first year and it's inevitably chaos as you're trying to grapple with bringing thousands of people into a venue safely." Craig Hughes As one of the main drivers for cash flow, enticing punters to purchase tickets sooner at a reduced price helps bring money in early, and gives organisers an estimate of how many attendees can be expected. But the rising trend of festival fans buying their tickets closer to the event date has had an impact on planning, as it's difficult to prepare accurately without a full grasp on the official number of tickets that will be sold before it takes place. Craig explained: 'That might mean you may plan for less people and have to go sold out even if the demand is actually going to be greater. "It also means that you can't spend as much on an artist budget or an extra art installation that you would have because you're worried that the numbers weren't going to pick up at the last minute, and that of course impacts on cash flow as well. "A lot of festivals will have a cash-heavy month in the month beforehand because all your infrastructure has to be paid for in advance of the festival, so if someone is buying a ticket on the weekend of the festival, that cash is no good to meeting those demands that fall beforehand.' FESTIVAL'S FUTURE For Night and Day Festival, the goal now is to reach 5,000 attendees per day - and they're hoping to come close to it this year. And the location has been a massive help towards achieving this goal. He explained: 'We're very lucky with our location in Lough Key Forest Park because there is so much infrastructure there already. 'If you think about going to a festival, they have to bring in all the toilets and all the showers - Lough Key is a purpose built campsite all year round so we have indoor toilets, indoor showers and electric and water hookups on pitches [for camper vans]. 'We're also looking to tap into mains power on the site so we're hoping to be completely generator free in a couple of years and expand beyond the 5,000 attendees in the next few years. 'However, I don't see us getting up to the lofty heights of ONLY OPTION But this smaller and independent festival has plenty happening for attendees that some of the bigger offerings don't. Craig, whose day job is political editor of the Irish Daily Mail, explained: 'You can arrive by boat which you can't do to any other festival. We also have expansive family-friendly offerings. "We're an over 20s festival but if you're under 14 you can come in on a kid's ticket. We have a full immersive program with workshops, kids yoga, circus skills and things to keep kids entertained.' FOCUS ON IRISH ACTS Another difference is the focus the organisers put on Irish acts, while including some international talent. They want to shine a light on homegrown talent and even host a competition for up-and-coming musicians where the winner gets to play at the festival. "A lot of festivals will have a cash heavy month in the month beforehand because all your infrastructure has to be paid for in advance of the festival, so if someone is buying a ticket on the weekend of the festival, that cash is no good to meeting those demands that fall beforehand.' Craig Hughes Craig explained: 'We have some international acts every year, but we have a really strong focus on Irish acts. "There really is so much great Irish talent that isn't highlighted enough - so what we look to do when people come to Night and Day is to have a sprinkling of big international acts, but also introduce them to new music that they wouldn't have heard already. "Our goal is to put on a world class event. We've spent a lot of money on having high production value. We put a really big emphasis on production and having high quality standards.' LINE-UP CHOICE And Craig also shed some light on how organisers pick a lineup - and it doesn't just come down to who the biggest acts are at the time. It involves looking at what types of venues artists have played before, looking at their Irish listeners on Spotify, along with followers from Ireland on When putting it all together, it starts from the top - beginning with the largest headliner and working the way down the line-up. But Craig said it's not always a foregone conclusion that the headliners you want will actually play the festival. He revealed that certain times while planning, bigger acts have been booked elsewhere in the time it takes to nail down the specifics. He revealed: 'That's kind of the nature of this sometimes. [There was one act we wanted but] we couldn't agree things in time and they got booked elsewhere, so you have to not hesitate when you're going forward with these things, but I think that's just the nature of the beast.' BIZARRE REQUEST To date, the festival hasn't encountered any bad experiences with the artists they've booked. Although, Craig did reveal one quirky request that they received from a performer. He explained: 'Sometimes you get some unusual requests from artists, regarding what should be left in the dressing room and what they want when they arrive on site. "Emma Langford asked for a picture of a dog - it doesn't have to be your dog but what she wants is to have a picture of a dog left in her dressing room, which I always thought was really fun. "Thankfully we haven't had anyone who's been too dramatic just yet but maybe that'll happen when we start bringing bigger superstars to Lough Key.' KT Tunstall, The Stunning, Lisa Hannigan, Paul Brady and Something Happens play Night and Day this weekend. For more info see 4 DJ Nialler9, festival organiser Craig Hughes and DJ Colin Perkins 4 The festival has family friendly activities Credit: Facebook
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Everything you need to know ahead of Night And Day Festival in County Roscommon
Founded by Mayo man and well-known Irish Daily Mail journalist Craig Hughes, the fourth annual Night and Day Festival will feature several well-known music acts and a variety of activities for all the family. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the festival: Where is it taking place? Night and Day takes place in Lough Key Forest Park, County Roscommon on 27-29 June. Who is playing? Headline acts include; KT Tunstall, The Stunning, Jose Gonzalez, Paul Brady, Lisa Hannigan, The Wailers, Sultans of Ping, Fionn Regan, Hermitage Green, Joshua Burnside, Efa O'Neill, Nialler9, Daithi, Skinner, DUG and many more. Apart from the music is there anything else going on? Yes, Night And Day have a full wellness schedule that ranges from hot tubs, saunas, yoga and reiki workshops. Festival-goers can also avail of exiting activities in Lough Key Forest Park like Is it family friendly? The festival is over 20s but under 14s can attend with an adult ticket holder. The festival has a full schedule of family friendly activities including kids yoga, circus skills, imagination playground, foraging for medicinal plants and much more. Are there tickets still available? Yes, weekend camping tickets (€195) as well as day tickets for Friday (€65), Saturday (€98) and Sunday (€98) are still on sale. Is there glamping? Yes, but you need to book in advance. Are there any campervan pitches remaining? No, they are sold out. How do I get there? Driving: Exit the N4 onto the L1019 which will bring you to the festival car park. General traffic does NOT enter through the main Lough Key Forest Park entrance. Train: You can get the train to either Boyle or Carrick-on-Shannon and get the shuttle bus (check timings) from designated locations. Bus: A shuttle bus from Boyle (King House) and Carrick on Shannon (Cryan's Hotel) is operating. Boat: The marina at Lough Key is open so you can arrive by boat if you wish. What type of food is there? French Fresh Crepes Master Food - burgers, hot dogs Bish Bosh - vegetarian / vegan (GF) Weirdough Pizza (GF option) La Tina Juanas - Latin American (GF option) Country Grill - Rotisserie Chicken dishes The Salt Project - Nomadic Food Prátaí - Gourmet Fries What drinks are on offer? Beer from The White Hag Brewery McIvor's Cider Spirits from Lough Ree Distillery Wine Brew point coffee Juice Genie Can I bring a foldable chair into the festival arena? Yes, but you can't have it inside the music tents after 6pm. Other essentials: Night and Day operates a cashless bar. Glass and pets are prohibited on site. Showers are in the main campervan and campsite, they are open in the morning only.
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Roscommon gears up for Lough Key's Night and Day Festival featuring music and relaxation
Home > Regionals > Roscommon > News Night and Day Festival returns to Lough Key Forest and Activity Park in County Roscommon between June 27 and June 29 Lough Key, County Roscommon, will again be the venue for the Night and Day Festival in County Roscommon Headlined by artists like Paul Brady, The Wailers, The Stunning, Lisa Hannigan, Sultans of Ping, José González, KT Tunstall, Adwaith and Fionn Regan, the popular outdoor musical festival is set to draw large crowds to Lough Key Forest and Activity Park in County Roscommon between June 27 and June 29. Organised and co-founded by Mayo native Craig Hughes, Political Editor for the Irish Daily Mail, the festival is promoted as part of Roscommon's outdoor recreation campaign, 'Breathe in Roscommon'. The Night and Day Festival also offers a variety of family-friendly activities including dance workshops, kids' yoga, circus skills, nature foraging, ancient games and craft making. The festival has built a new wellness area near the Lough Key Forest and Activity Park that will host morning yoga classes, reiki sessions and saunas for attendees. 'This year we have really enhanced our wellness offering so festivalgoers can reconnect with nature in the morning while dancing to great music in the afternoon,' said festival co-founder, Craig Hughes. Lough Key Forest and Activity Park, which offers zip-lining courses, boat tours, kayaking, and forest trails, will remain open to the public during the festival. The inaugural Night and Day Festival took place in September 2022 at Clonalis House in Castlerea. It moved to its present venue in Lough Key Forest Park the following year. Roscommon Tourism Officer Lisa Joy said festival celebrates Roscommon's 'unique heritage, arts and culture as well as its scenic outdoor offerings that can be enjoyed by people of all ages'. 'We anticipate the Night and Day Festival to not just raise awareness about the county's forest trails and lakeside adventures but also inspire people to slow down, explore the landscapes and truly breathe in Roscommon,' Ms Joy added. The Night and Day Festival is an over-20s event but Children under 14 can attend once accompanied by a parent or guardian with a child's ticket. Camping options include a campsite with water stations and showers to ensure comfort throughout the weekend. For more information on activities and festival details, visit:
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Telford office supplies company still recovering after lockdown
An office supplies company said it is still recovering from the coronavirus lockdown - despite benefitting from people having to work from home at that based in Telford, sells office goods from desks and chairs to stationery - but all that ground to a halt in March 2020 when millions of workers were told to work from home. Craig Hughes is a partner at the company alongside his brother Richard, after their father founded Chrisbeon in described the coronavirus lockdown as "the biggest cultural change for workplaces since World War Two". Mr Hughes said lockdown "effectively stopped his business overnight," but the company quickly realised "people would need a small desk and chair for working from their spare bedroom.""We did have an opportunity, but what we didn't have was a supply chain." Work 'turned on its head' Mr Hughes noted that "everybody thinks [lockdown] was a massive boom for us," but the business still faced challenges."Where customers would normally order 90 chairs to one site - their offices - they were ordering 90 chairs to 90 individuals' homes," he said."The logistics and the way that we worked had to turn on its head overnight." Over the past five years, as lockdown restrictions were lifted, Chrisbeon has celebrated its 50th anniversary - but Mr Hughes said the industry is still recovering."Some parts came back very, very quickly - other parts have only really in the past six to 12 months come back to some semblance of normality," he said. The lead times for manufacturing is still slower than it was before the pandemic, Mr Hughes said."We're still not back to exactly pre-Covid, but the way businesses are responding and planning for the future is more like pre-Covid times." But the most significant difference post-lockdown is how companies want to set up their offices, Mr Hughes said."Most of our customers, after lockdown, came back to their premises, looked at their offices and probably thought they were a little dull and boring."Mr Hughes said having plants and greenery in workplaces was also becoming more popular. "People are asking 'how can we soften the office, and make it a bit more engaging?'"It's a lot more open and friendly - and just a bit more interesting." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
