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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Inside Ireland's music festival industry: `You can haemorrhage money very quickly'
Summer is on the minds of Will Rolfe and James Aiken – the summer of 2026, that is. 'We already have some headliners confirmed,' says Rolfe, promoter, curator and creative director of Pod Festivals. 'Just when everyone is getting excited for this year, we're starting to get excited for next year. You really don't get to enjoy it in the moment.' The 2025 festival season has nevertheless shaped up nicely for Pod and Aiken Promotions , its owner since 2023, and the mood is upbeat in advance of this weekend's Forbidden Fruit at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, in the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. 'It's the longest-running music festival in Dublin city centre,' says James Aiken, a Pod booker, company director and third-generation concert promoter. (His late grandfather Jim founded Aiken.) READ MORE 'A portion of the audience will go because it's the June bank holiday weekend, but there is also a large portion who we have to engage every year with the right line-up,' he says. As we talk, in mid-May, Rolfe can 'nearly touch-wood guarantee' that the 15,000-capacity Forbidden Fruit will sell out, while Pod's big camping event, All Together Now , shifted its final tickets in March – encouragingly, this is the earliest it has sold out since 2019. The three-day, four-night festival – which takes place at the Curraghmore Estate, in Co Waterford, on the August bank-holiday weekend – did this while increasing its capacity to 30,000, up from 25,000 in 2024. It took 'a little bit of time' for people to flock back to festivals like this one after the pandemic, says Rolfe, but the restart is now in full swing. Across a broad spectrum of events, the Irish music-festival scene of 2025 is defined by vibrancy and resilience. For the generations who can't afford a home, going to festivals is part of their revenge for the way life has treated them The promoters and experts I speak to stress that financial risk is always involved and identify pinch points for smaller operators, in particular. Some events fell by the wayside in the wake of Covid, as costs rocketed and disposable incomes shrank. The sector appears in good nick by international standards, however, and continues to be buoyed by ever more experienced promoters, more deeply ingrained demand and a relatively fresh flush of big-name Irish artists. 'We're world champions at going to festivals,' says Michael Murphy, a music-industry veteran who now lectures at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dún Laoghaire. When Denis Desmond, the founder of MCD Productions , 'went professional' in 1981, promoting Thin Lizzy at the first Slane Castle concert – with U2 'famously down the bill' – a switch was flicked, Murphy says. Today, Desmond's Gaiety Investments co-owns LN-Gaiety Holdings, which is a joint venture with the global behemoth Live Nation . LN-Gaiety Holdings in turn owns MCD and Festival Republic, the operator of Ireland's biggest festival: Electric Picnic. This means that while Aiken is a significant player in an Irish context, it's small compared with Live Nation. Select festivals – including the now 80,000-capacity Electric Picnic and the British music mecca Glastonbury – have such established brands that they will sell out before announcing a single name. For the rest, the line-up is critical to their survival, says Murphy. 'If you get the content wrong you could go out of business.' [ How to have a number one album, from U2 to The Beatles: An Irish expert shares his music industry experience Opens in new window ] He draws a distinction between civic-minded, community-based festivals and the for-profit kind. As an 'old punk' he can remember the 'prehistoric times' when there was simply no sponsorship of music gigs. Once festivalgoing became a rite of passage, however, it was inevitable that alcohol companies would rush to associate their brands with moments of collective freedom and elation. Economic dysfunction has, in a way, actually boosted the live-events industry. 'For the generations who can't afford a home, going to festivals is part of their revenge for the way life has treated them,' says Murphy. Other factors have helped 'brilliant boutique festivals' flourish alongside the megaevents. Not everybody wants to be corralled on to an alcohol sponsor's patch – they want freedom from the corporate element, too. The age range of festivalgoers has also widened, as people now in their 60s were able to acquire an outdoor-gig habit in their 20s in a way that previous generations couldn't. This demographic expansion is reflected in both the type of events being staged and their sponsors. The 'family music festival' Kaleidoscope , for instance, is officially 'Kaleidoscope presented by Glenveagh' Properties. The home builder's backing is 'essential to our growth', says Shell Holden, director of marketing at the events agency Fuel , which manages it alongside Festival Republic , Live Nation and MCD. Kaleidoscope, held at Russborough House in Blessington, Co Wicklow, is built to prioritise accessibility and convenience, with baby-changing areas, dedicated sensory and quiet spaces, a family cooking zone and a campsite quiet-time curfew. We are, in other words, a long way from Oxegen. Intergenerational custom also swells attendances at the Big Day Out , a one-day, 15,000-capacity 'pop and nostalgia' festival at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. The CWB -promoted event will be headlined this August by the boy band Blue. Ticket-buyers who lived through the pop era of the 1990s and early 2000s bring their children, nieces and nephews – and, thanks to the music-recycling capabilities of platforms such as TikTok, they aren't dragging them, either. 'Nostalgic acts can have a resurgence,' says Paul Boland, one of CWB's founders. His company aims to bring more national-scale events to the midwest region. But building 'from the bottom up' is not without its challenges. 'You can haemorrhage money very quickly,' he says. Events are promoted 'subject to licence', which requires some nerve-holding. Insurance for extreme weather has also become harder to obtain since Brexit, while the splintering of social-media usage has complicated marketing efforts. Boland is keen for the live-events industry to be taken seriously as the employment generator and sustainable economic contributor that it is. 'It brings confidence to a region as well,' he says. 'We take the attitude of The Cranberries: If everyone else is doing it, why can't we?' What Murphy calls the 'DIY aspect to Irish music promotion' will also be in evidence this summer at Orlagh House, a converted monastery in the foothills of the Dublin mountains – and, crucially, only five minutes from the M50. This is where the promoter Úna Molloy, of the agency Touring Pirate , hopes to attract 'a more grown-up' audience to Hibernacle on the first weekend in July. 'Send the 16-year-olds to Longitude and come and have premium pints at Hibernacle,' she suggests. The festival has a full bar, a 'secret stage' that pops up between acts and a raft of Irish artists on the line-up, including Villagers, who will headline on the Saturday night. Its capacity is a genuinely boutique 800. [ Electric Picnic 2025: More acts added to line-up as capacity increases again Opens in new window ] Molloy says she wants to make the experience 'a little bit magical' – and flexible, too, for the contingent with responsibilities and/or babysitters to pay. Weekend-pass wristbands can be swapped, so 'a pal or partner' can go one of the nights. Hibernacle has no sponsorship, no funding. 'It's just me,' says Molloy. Like Boland, she cites the need to keep prices contained, but it's not easy. The ticketing service Eventbrite adds a 12 per cent booking fee, and, before she can pay anyone, 3 per cent of the ticket price goes to the Irish Music Rights Organisation, in royalties; 13.5 per cent of it will be VAT. Smaller venues and promoters at the grassroots have 'really struggled' since the temporary 9 per cent VAT rate expired in September 2023, Molloy says. Indeed, in Britain, where the sector has suffered a high volume of casualties, the Association of Independent Festivals has campaigned for a time-limited 5 per cent rate. Molloy is keeping her fingers crossed. 'If people don't buy tickets for this, it's going to take me a while to claw my way back from it. But I don't think 800 tickets is beyond the beyonds.' The impact of public funding on Irish festivals deserves to be amplified, according to Angela Dorgan, chief executive of First Music Contact , the Arts Council-funded resource organisation for musicians. 'I know it's not very sexy to talk about it, but acts like Fontaines DC and CMAT had early tours supported by Culture Ireland ,' she says, referring to the State promotion agency. The 'tons' of background work going on includes Ireland Music Week, the First Music Contact-run October showcase that places up-and-coming Irish artists in front of international bookers. 'We're seeing a lot of Irish bands being booked for European festivals, which means they can tour,' she says. Nothing can replace 'eyeball to eyeball' contact between artists and audiences, Dorgan believes, but she cautions that the ecosystem will unravel if it becomes unviable for musicians. 'There are festivals that pay security staff, sound engineers, everyone, but the fee for the artist is an afterthought. We need to keep an eye on the fairness of that. You can't sell tickets for an empty stage.' With the flow of international superstar acts slowing down – 'really bad for Ireland,' says Murphy – the viability of Irish festivals is likely to become ever more intertwined with the general health of Irish music. Making a profit from festivals remains a high-wire act. 'You need to be in and around a sell-out. In the whole of the music industry, from concerts to festivals, the margins are extremely tight. So you need to be at 90 per cent, 95 per cent,' says Rolfe of Pod, which was founded by the late promoter John Reynolds. Not all major artists are chasing the biggest paydays. 'Some of them want to do something different, something curated, something with a little bit more soul. The economics change if there are fewer of those artists available.' June sees the second outing for Pod and Aiken's 10,000-capacity In the Meadows , which will have Iggy Pop as its headliner and co-curator. The one-day festival – which, like Forbidden Fruit, takes over Royal Hospital Kilmainham – exemplifies some of the trends predicted to shape the future festival landscape. It's a city venue, it's 'not just about the headliner' and it targets a 'slightly older' audience. 'Brand identity is going to become more and more important over the next five to 10 years. Sticking headliners on a festival bill and saying, 'That's it,' isn't going to be enough,' says Aiken. Beyond the music, minimum audience expectations for food and drink, wellness and accommodation have all increased even since the first All Together Now, in 2018, Rolfe says. He thinks that Ireland's size has prevented festivals here from becoming too genre-specific, too specialised, and that this makes for more interesting events. Bringing together people from different backgrounds 'who are into completely different things' is part of the joy of festivals, he says. 'That's an important thing in the world at the moment.' The business, as Murphy adds, is bigger than the sum of its revenues – and that's worth cherishing.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
2FM Go Live at Major Music Festivals Across Summer 2025
2FM is hitting the road this summer, broadcasting live from Ireland's biggest music festivals, starting with Forbidden Fruit this June Bank Holiday weekend. From Kilmainham to Glendalough, Waterford and Stradbally, 2FM will be bringing live shows, top-tier music and all the behind-the-scenes festival vibes directly to listeners nationwide. The summer festival tour includes: Forbidden Fruit – 31 May & 1 June Beyond The Pale – 13–15 June All Together Now – 31 July–3 August Electric Picnic – 29–31 August The action kicks off this weekend at Forbidden Fruit 2025, where 2FM returns with its renowned 2FM Rising Stage, showcasing a massive lineup of emerging Irish talent. Expect high-energy live broadcasts from 12–6pm each day. Demi Isaac and Mikey O'Reilly will get the party started each day at 12pm, followed by Emma Power and Graham Smyth live from 3pm, keeping the vibes going into the evening. Helen Galgey and Benny Bracken, 2FM's roving reporters, will be on the ground all weekend, capturing backstage moments, surprise encounters, and festival fun. Performing live on the 2FM Rising Stage will be standout acts including Shiv, DJ Wax, Dave Treacy, MOIO, Pastiche, Bold Love and more — a lineup not to be missed. Next up, 2FM heads to the scenic surroundings of Glendalough for Beyond the Pale. Tune in on Friday, 13 June, where Tracy Clifford will be kicking things off from 12pm featuring more music, interviews, and festival highlights. The summer tour continues with a live presence at All Together Now in Waterford, before culminating at Electric Picnic in Stradbally — where 2FM will once again be at the heart of the action. More details on the full broadcast schedule for All Together Now and Electric Picnic will be revealed later in the summer. RTÉ 2FM is the most popular radio station in the country for 15 to 34-year-olds with a share of 11.3%. Stay tuned to 2FM all summer long for live music, exclusive interviews, and the best of Irish festival culture. ENDS Date: 29 May 2025 RTÉ Communications: Caoilinn Putti Notes to Editor: Forbidden Fruit 2FM Rising Stage – Schedule Saturday – 31 May Sweetlemondae Essiray Bold Love Celaviedmai Fortune Igiebor MOIO Dj Wax Sun – 1 June Annie Dog Negro Impacto F3MIII Cliffords Shiv Pastiche Dave Treacy
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
2FM go live at major music festivals across summer 2025
This summer, 2FM is taking the show on the road, broadcasting live from some of Ireland's biggest and best music festivals, starting with Forbidden Fruit this June Bank Holiday weekend. From Kilmainham to Glendalough, Waterford to Stradbally, 2FM will be bringing listeners across the country right into the heart of the action, with live shows, incredible music, and exclusive behind-the-scenes access. The 2FM Summer Festival Tour includes: Forbidden Fruit – 31 May and 1 June Beyond The Pale – 13–15 June All Together Now – 31 July–3 August E lectric Picnic – 29–31 August It all kicks off at Forbidden Fruit 2025, where 2FM returns with its legendary 2FM Rising Stage, spotlighting a stellar lineup of emerging Irish artists. Expect non-stop energy with live broadcasts from 12–6pm each day. Getting the party started from 12pm are Demi Isaac and Mikey O'Reilly, followed by Emma Power and Graham Smyth from 3pm, keeping the vibes alive into the evening. Meanwhile, festival roving reporters Helen Galgey and Benny Bracken will be on the ground capturing exclusive backstage moments, surprise encounters, and all the festival fun. Catch rising stars like Shiv, DJ Wax, MOIO, Pastiche, Bold Love, and more performing live on the 2FM Rising Stage. Next stop: the stunning landscapes of Glendalough for Beyond the Pale, where the festivities continue. Tune in Friday, 13 June, as Tracy Clifford kicks off the broadcast at 12pm, bringing listeners more live music, artist interviews, and festival highlights. The summer tour rolls on to All Together Now in Waterford, before wrapping up in spectacular style at Electric Picnic in Stradbally. Stay tuned for full broadcast schedules for All Together Now and Electric Picnic coming later this summer.
Irish Examiner
10-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
The Menu: The Irish barbecue scene has evolved at a mighty clip
Aa I write this in late April, I am like most Gaels — bewitched by a mini-heatwave, drugged to the gills by endless sunshine, deluding myself that it will last forever. Shorts? Check. Sunnies? Check. Flipflops? Check. Cold beer, even on a school night? Check. And what shall we eat? Why, barbecue, of course. That primal fragrance of burning fat and charring meat is already wafting in the still 'summer' air outside my window, for it is an immutable principle that — on rare occasions when the otherwise prodigal sun favours the oul' sod — the Gael fires up the barbecue. The barbecue is a comparatively recent arrival to Ireland. Indeed, while the rest of the world established a genetic heritage hundreds of thousands of years in the making, since man first slung a sabre tooth sirloin on smouldering coals, we never really had much history of cooking meat over live fire. We rarely ate the stuff in the first place, prizing live cattle as a status symbol and predominantly eating dairy produce. When we did eat meat, we boiled it in a fulacht fiadh. When I was a child, 'barbecue' entailed sausages grilled in the oven but then, a radical departure, eaten out in the back garden. If it was a serious heatwave, the dining room furniture was hauled out as well. The first proper barbecue 'equipment' in Ireland was those charcoal-filled foil pans from the supermarket which introduced the extreme sport of food poisoning to a nation then so fearful of 'under-cooking' anything at all — animal, mineral, or vegetable — that a good 30 minutes was tacked on to all recommended cooking time, even frozen peas, 'just to be on the safe side'. When faced with cooking raw meat on these new-fangled foil gadgets, only a roaring inferno would suffice. Flames near licking rooftops as we rapidly blackened burgers to a crisp, only to leave them raw and vaguely warm on the inside. The barbecue is a comparatively recent arrival to Ireland We had yet to hear the gospel of low and slow, to only begin cooking when the flame has died away and the real heat arrives. Since then, the Irish barbecue scene has evolved at a mighty clip. Many new Irish brought with them far superior techniques learned over generations of live fire cooking. Our own homegrown food heroes also began to lead the way. Andy Noonan's world-class annual Big Grill barbecue festival attracts star barbecue chefs and pitmasters from around the world, and introduced many Irish chefs to techniques they now employ in their own kitchens. My own 'Gurus of the Grill' are the doughty duo, Pat Conway and Jim O'Brien, of Smokin' Soul. When I first invited them in 2018 to feature at Grub Circus at All Together Now music festival, I had no real idea what to expect. They stole the show, exceeding all expectations, putting the primal into party as they delivered stunning dishes cooked over live fire over the entire weekend. And if Jim betimes appeared to be speaking in tongues, he was equally conversant in tongues of flame. He is the true savant of Irish live fire cooking — I suspect he even keeps fire as a pet. Now Smokin' Soul hosts its own festival, Feast of Fire (July 11/12/13) in its bucolic base in Wexford, where they also construct their mind-blowing 'grills', exquisitely engineered contraptions — some larger than a family car — selling to clients, domestic and professional, in Ireland and abroad. It is also where they host truly instructive live fire cooking courses — the most fun I've ever had at 'school'. The festival will be an edible extravaganza of meals and tasty titbits from a host of top chefs, including Aishling Moore and Kwanghi Chan. Held in a 'Big Top' circus tent, with just 300 tickets available, including camping, it is both all-inclusive and exclusive. No queues and freedom to move between various areas and activities. Kicking off with a welcome feast, there are no elitist VIP areas separating performers from audience, all mingling together for a completely immersive experience. Along with as much incredible food as you can put away, live entertainment continues into the night at, what I predict, will be one of the great Irish food events of 2025. TODAY'S SPECIAL When the Italian spicy spreadable sausage first arrived on Irish plates, any reticence around 'nduja was entirely to do with the word's pronounciation but it has now become ubiquitous, particularly on pizzas, and quality varies, but one of Ireland's finest charcuterie producers, Corndale Farm, knock it out of the park with their potent take on the Calabrian classic. Fierce and fiery of flavour, just a nip smeared on toasted sourdough is addictive but uses are myriad, including adding humongous heft to a homemade turbo-charged tomato sauce. Widely available, from M&S and good independent food stores, €6.50. Mowgli by the Sea Mowgli by the Sea (May 25), on Ballybrannigan Beach, in East Cork, is the first of Niamh Hegarty's BKultured summer series, supported by Five Farms Irish cream. A four-course sharing feast cooked live by chef Tom Hayes (Mowgli Roaming Kitchen), Brian's Wines pouring natural wines, BKultured kefir and Five Farms Irish Cream, all served up around the fire. From 5pm, €65, Book at Read More The Menu: May is when I begin growing food produce at home in earnest
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's crossword, "All Together Now" (Freestyle)
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! "All Together Now" (Freestyle) Constructor: Matthew Stock Editor: Amanda Rafkin TINGA (51D: Mexican chicken dish) The Mexican dish TINGA consists of shredded chicken in a sauce of tomatoes, chipotle chilis in adobo, and sliced onions. RAO (61D: Bollywood legend Akkineni Nageswara ___) Bollywood is a term used to refer to Hindi cinema. The word is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (the former name of Mumbai) and "Hollywood." Akkineni Nageswara RAO (1923-2014) was an actor and film director. He had a seven decade career in Teluga cinema (films in the Teluga language), and appeared in over 250 movies. During that time he was honored with multiple awards, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema.. INTEGRATIVE CARE (17A: Collaborative practice among social workers, mental health counselors, doctors, etc.) INTEGRATIVE CARE seeks to address each patient's unique needs through the collaboration of professionals in various fields. Studies have shown that INTEGRATIVE CARE can improve outcomes for patients, as well as increase patient satisfaction. DEERE (19A: John whose name is on lawn mowers) John DEERE founded his company in 1837 in Grand Detour, Illinois. That same year, he began manufacturing steel plows, which had an advantage over the iron and wooden plows Midwestern farmers had been using, because the steel surface slid easily through the soil. John DEERE now manufactures many kinds of machinery, including lawn mowers, combine harvesters, excavators, and tractors. REGGAE (21A: Jamaican music genre) and SKA (47A: Jamaican music genre)This is a fun clue echo. SKA originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was a precursor of REGGAE, which developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. OPERAS (31A: Prima donna's shows) and ARIA (46D: 31-Across highlight) It's fun to see OPERAS and ARIA in the same puzzle. This reminds me of the April 29 puzzle, when we saw ARIA cross-referenced to the singular OPERA. COSTA RICA (52A: Central American country home to over 900 species of birds) COSTA RICA is a country in the Central American portion of North America. It has coastline along the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and borders Nicaragua and Panama. The capital of COSTA RICA is San José. COSTA RICA has a land area of just under 20,000 square miles, making it a bit smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia. Although it's a small country, its climate and varied habitat make it home to numerous bird species. It makes sense, therefore, that COSTA RICA is a popular birding destination. YOGA MAT (66A: Floor covering in a hatha studio) Hatha YOGA is a branch of YOGA that focuses on stretching and flexibility, balancing periods of movement with periods of stillness. OTTER (3D: Aquatic mammal with dense fur) A sea OTTER has the densest fur (nearly one million hairs per square inch) of any mammal. An OTTER's dense fur keeps them warm in the water by trapping air that acts as insulation. This trapped air also provides some buoyancy. Their dense fur is important, as OTTERs lack a layer of blubber found in some other marine mammals. OSLO (29D: Norway's capital) OSLO is the capital of Norway and the country's most populous city. The city of OSLO was founded in 1040 A.D. Its original name was Ánslo. It has also been named Christiania (also spelled Kristiana). AHOY MATEY (32D: Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting) AHOY, MATEY! You have some time to practice your pirate talk before the next Talk Like a Pirate Day. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19. The holiday began as an inside joke between two guys in Albany, Oregon – John Baur and Mark Summers. It gained more widespread recognition when they sent an email about their invented holiday to humor columnist Dave Barry, who liked the idea and promoted it in his column. HAWK (35D: Javan ___-eagle (national bird of Indonesia)) The Javan HAWK-eagle is a medium-sized raptor endemic to Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. EDNA (36D: Novelist Ferber) EDNA Ferber (1885-1968) won a Pulitzer Prize for her 1924 novel, So Big. Some of her other works include Show Boat (1926, which was adapted into a musical), Cimarron (1930, adapted into a 1931 Academy Award-winning movie), and Ice Palace (1958, adapted into a 1956 movie). CABO (52D: ___ San Lucas) CABO San Lucas is a city in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is located on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. CABO San Lucas is a resort city, and is one of Mexico's top tourist destinations. This answer brought up a memory of watching the TV series The Love Boat when I was growing up. Wow, I haven't thought about that for a long time! I looked it up to see if my memory was correct, and CABO San Lucas was one of the stops the boat made on the show. PUMA (57D: Shoe brand named for a big cat) This may be my cat, Willow's, favorite shoe brand, as it's named for one of her big cat cousins) STET (58D: Editor's "leave this") STET, a Latin word meaning "let it stand" is used in proofreading to indicated that a previously marked change is to be ignored. A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed: BLOOP (41A: Robot sound) AHA (6D: "Eureka!") "ALL TOGETHER NOW" (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to INTEGRATIVE CARE (17A: Collaborative practice among social workers, mental health counselors, doctors, etc.) Whenever a puzzle includes the entry NO NOTES (38D: "I think it's perfect") I'm tempted to use that phrase as my comments and leave it at that. Of course, I inevitably think of more I want to say! In addition to pertaining to the grid-spanning entry INTEGRATIVE CARE, the title "ALL TOGETHER NOW" could also pertain to a couple of other entries: CO-TEACHER (14A: One of two colleagues working together to run a classroom) and TEAM GAME (64A: Pastime such as baseball, but not ping-pong. Thank you, Matthew, for this enjoyable puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for May 4, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
