Belfast City Council is considering bringing back Culture Night Belfast – but what shape it takes is up to you. When we were starting as a publication, Culture Night wasn’t just another date in the city’s calendar – it was essential. The streets pulsed with music, art and performance, pulling 100,000 people into the heart of something bigger than themselves. More than just an event, it always felt like a moment – a collision of creativity, community and possibility – something that, elsewhere, Output Belfast reliably taps into, year in and year out for music. But is that enough? Now, the…

A year after casting a two-night spell over Vicar Street, Patti Smith returns to Dublin this autumn for a special show marking the 50th anniversary of Horses. Joined by her band, she’ll take over 3Arena on Monday, 6th October for what promises to be a landmark performance celebrating her revered 1975 debut. By our count, this will be her 14th time playing the city, and it’s set to go down as one of the most memorable. Presented by Foggy Notions, tickets go on sale this Monday, 6th October.

Open Ear, Ireland’s best and easily most consistently forward-pushing summer festival, returns from 29 May to 1 June with its strongest line-up to date. Big words, we know, but very well earned. After another standout edition last summer, the Sherkin Island institution returns to the beloved and forever blessed Banger Cliff, along with various other venues speckled across the haven just off the coast of West Cork, this June Bank Holiday. This year’s highlights are plenty, with performances from RÓIS, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Trá Pháidín, Natalia Beylis & Willie Stewart, Sunil Sharpe, I Dreamed I Dream, Elaine Malone, Péist, Anodyne and Americhord.…

In one way or another, we say it every year: AVA Festival just keeps levelling up. Hands down one of the island’s very best summer festivals – and an electronic institution in Belfast – AVA returns to take over the Titanic Slipways across 30-31st May. With a new, arts-focused initiative to be announced in the coming weeks, this year’s line-up is more than enough to get us excited. For edition number 11, organisers have brought together headliners including Underworld and Overmono, and countless big hitters, among them VTSS, KI/KI, 999999999, Job Jobse, Sally C and Tommy Holohan. A slew of…

We’ve a lot of love for Stendhal Festival here at The Thin Air. When Glasgowbury took its final bow at Eagle’s Rock in Draperstown in 2013, there was, despite the sadness, a shared belief that Stendhal could pick up the baton, fill the gap and create something even bigger and better for the future. Sixteen years later, the annual Limavady festival hasn’t just filled the gap – it has redefined what a homegrown festival can be. Stendhal has become a cornerstone of NI’s cultural calendar and a beacon for creativity, collaboration and unforgettable live experiences. At the heart of this…

Nine Inch Nails have announced their highly-anticipated return to Dublin. Two years on from playing the venue, Trent Reznor and co. will return for a show at 3Arena on June 15th. The show doubles up as the opening night of the band’s Peel It Back world tour, the full dates of which are below. Tickets for Nine Inch Nails at Dublin’s 3Arena go on sale at 12pm next Wednesday, January 29. Revisit a stone-cold NIN classic below. Photo by Jenn Five

If you’re into jazz or just good music in general, you’ll hopefully already know that Brilliant Corners is one of the top festivals in Ireland – and year 13 is shaping up to be something special. Big shout-out to the legends at Moving on Music who’ve been making this happen year after year, pushing the boundaries of jazz and bringing a level of talent to Belfast that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s not just one of the best jazz festivals around – it’s straight-up one of the best festivals on the island, full stop. From 28th February to 8th…

Earth, one of the most seismic and influential bands in contemporary music, are set to return to Ireland after more than a decade. The long-running sonic vision of Dylan Carlson – drone pioneer, rock sage, and genre-redefining master – Earth have shaped some of the most defining releases of the past 30 years. From the groundbreaking Earth 2 to their latest LP Full Upon Her Burning Lips, via classics like Hex and The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, Carlson and an evolving lineup – currently joined by long-time drummer Adrienne Davies – have continuously transformed, securing their place…