• Picture This Special: PLASTIK Festival

    March 22, 2017 - By 

    Returning for its sophomore edition to Dublin this weekend is the PLASTIK Festival of Artists’ Moving Image. Due to run Friday 24th to Sunday 26th, the festival is a collaboration between LUX, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios and the IFI. The latter provides the setting for the weekend’s film screenings, which see a number of artists, including Yuri Pattison, aemi and Sasha Litvintseva, present bodies of work that influence their outputs, while others are showcasing current or forthcoming work. The festival begins on Friday at 6:30pm with Abyss Film in the IFI, curated by James Richards. This is followed by Richards and LUX…

  • F Festival 2017

    February 3, 2017 - By 

    A free, multifaceted festival aimed at generating visibility and equality for women in the arts, F Festival will return to various venues in Dublin for its second annual outing on March 11. With the daytime schedule set to see an array of art, talks and workshops transform the likes of Generator, The Back Loft and Temple Bar Gallery, venues including Sin E, Mother, Gypsy Rose, Grand Social, The Mercantile and more will host “hefty riffs and dirty disco beats” from the likes of Laoise, Kevyn, Vernon Jane, Leila Jane & The Healers, My Fellow Sponges, Pillow Queens and more to be announced. Go…

  • Wanda: Feminism and Moving Image

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    A four-day feminism and moving image event and the first of its kind in Belfast, Wanda will take place in various venues across the city from February 9-12. Featuring film screenings, talks, performances and panel discussions on subjects relating to feminist moving image practice and how feminism continues to inform and inspire moving image works of many forms, the mini-festival will include screenings of feature films such as Riddles of the Sphinx (still, above) at Beanbag Cinema and Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles at Queen’s Film Theatre, as well as shorts including Niamh McKenna’s Chasing the Birds and…

  • Outburst Queer Arts Festival 2016

    November 8, 2016 - By 

    Northern Ireland’s queer creative initiative and annual celebration of “all that is bold and lovely in the world of lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer and friends’ creative goodness” Outburst Arts Festival returns to Belfast for its tenth outing across November 10-19 with a jam-packed programme with queer theatre, music, visual arts, film, spoken word, books, poems, performance, workshops and more. With highlights including This Filthy World with the one and only John Waters, a screening of award-winning documentary Kiki with Twiggy Pucci Garçon and Chi Chi Mizrahi and a global queer trad session at The American Bar, you can check…

  • Atlantic Sessions

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    Showcasing over 50 artists in over 30 venues across four days, the eighth annual Atlantic Sessions will take over Portstewart, Portrush and Portballintrae from November 17-20. With intimate venues and music trails at the heart of the festival, admission to all events and performances are completely free. This year’s festival is programmed by Snow Water Its director, Carolyn Mathers said “Northern Ireland is extraordinary in the richness of its talent and our artists are receiving international awards and acclaim. Atlantic Sessions will celebrate our incredible music scene, musical heritage, artistic excellence, hospitality, and with the backdrop of stunning coastal scenery and magnificent views. This…

  • 30 Under 30 Film Festival

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    With its sell of “classics films through modern eyes”, 30 Under 30 is a new season of must-see films to watch on the big screen before the age of 30. Taking place in various venues in Belfast and Derry from August to October courtesy of Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast Film Festival, Cinemagic, the Nerve Centre and Strand Arts Centre, the programme for the festival addresses a wide range of issues and concerns for under-30s such as becoming an adult, love and friendship, finding your place in the world, work life and dreams versus reality. Claire Shaw, Press and Marketing Officer…

  • Lingo Festival 2016

    September 11, 2016 - By 

    Returning following the sold-out success of its second annual outing last year, Lingo – Ireland’s first and only spoken word festival – returns to Dublin from October 21-23. With more acts and full line-up info yet to be announced, the forefather of indie-hop Sage Francis (pictured), Rubberbandits‘ Blindboy Boatclub, Palestinian spoken word artist and human rights activist Rafeef Ziadeh and Galway poet Sarah Clancy will headline this year’s festival. Lingo Programme Manager Erin Fornoff said, “Irish Spoken Word has gone from being a practically unknown and underground movement to being an invigorating part of Ireland’s wider culture, you just have to…

  • Beat Root 2016

    September 5, 2016 - By 

    Presenting four days of wonderfully diverse roots music, Belfast’s Beat Root festival returns with yet another stellar bill from September 7-10. With all shows taking place in the city’s Crescent Arts Centre, this year’s schedule traverses Scottish psych folk maestros Trembling Bells with support from London-born, Galway-raised musician Brigid Mae Power (above), sublime psychedelic samba, distorted jazz and Afro-punk in the form of Metá Metá, English folk musician Chris Wood with support from Conor Caldwell and Danny Diamond, as well as Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh of The Gloaming and This Is How We Fly, with support from Amy McAllister. Whilst you can pay per gig,…

  • Another Love Story 2016

    August 9, 2016 - By 

    Easily our favourite small Irish summer festival, Another Love Story returns to the sublime Killyon Manor in Co. Meath from August 19-21. With less than a month to go until this year’s outing, organisers Happenings and Homebeat have revealed their final line-up, including their first ever international act, Sweden’s Badlands. With a host of live acts and DJs including Talos (pictured), Slow Skies, SlowPlaceLikeHome, Lastertom, Somadrone, Carriages and Ships set to make an appearance, the return of The Library and a veritable cornucopia of theatrical and artistic happenings (see full line-up poster below) will take place over the weekend. Tickets are priced…

  • Open House Festival 2016

    August 1, 2016 - By 

    With a host of lovingly-compiled, brilliantly diverse outings behind them, Open House Festival will return to Bangor from August 1-30. With 125 events taking place in more than 40 venues in the Northern Irish seaside town, music, film, food & drink, theatre, literature, comedy, art, magic, mystery, dance and lectures is – as ever – the perfectly balanced order of the day for the annual Bangor festival. Amongst the highlights in this year’s programme are a 40th anniversary show by The Damned, Iron & Wine, a 70th birthday tribute to former AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, Ian Rankin, Tom Robinson and returning Bangor songstress…