For those of you that might have been otherwise pre-occupied yesterday evening, the team behind Glasgowbury have confirmed that this year will be its last. We are majorly gutted and judging by the reaction of everyone else in the local music scene it seems like everyone is just shocked and saddened. While the team will be moving on to various music related projects in the future, the festival, always a highlight in NI music fans calendar will be sorely missed.
So get your act together, get yourself over to the Glasgowbury website, buy your tickets and let’s send the team out with a bang!
The official statement from Glasgowbury is here:
On the eve of the thirteenth Glasgowbury festival, the organisers behind Northern Ireland’s premiere celebration of homegrown musical talent have announced that this year’s showcase will be the final full-scale event at its home at Eagle’s Rock, Draperstown. Having started back in 2000, the festival and charitable social enterprise has spearheaded Northern Ireland’s live music culture whilst working closely with various local groups and enterprises to bring the arts to the heart of rural communities. Progressing to the next stage of its forward-thinking development, the organisation aims to conquer exciting new territories and develop new audiences.
With “Small but Massive” very much at the heart of the mid-Ulster organisation’s mantra, the announcement marks Glasgowbury’s relocation to an expanded creative hub in Draperstown’s Cornstore, where the continued promotion of local talent and expansion of new educational and creative enterprises will thrive. Building on the not-for-profit team’s varied community arts and development programme, opening up new opportunities in the creative industries is at the very core of Glasgowbury’s future. The story of the group’s success is not ending: it’s very much beginning.
With And So I Watch You From Afar, Japanese Popstars and The Answer headlining at the festival’s swansong at Eagle’s Rock across the weekend of 19-20th July, plans are already afoot to break new ground and create innovative platforms to showcase our local artists to new domestic and international audiences. Glasgowbury has created a sustainable event delivery model which has transferred successfully to other communities. Now located to its own creative hub, Glasgowbury will deliver a wider more varied programme of arts and community development continuing to provide tuition programmes and performance opportunities. Glasgowbury will foster local talent while developing new audiences for the arts.
Having played a crucial role in the promotion and development of Irish music for over decade, consistently re-affirming its reputation as a pioneering organisation that welcomes and cultivates artists, volunteers, and participants of all ages and backgrounds; the latest chapter of Glasgowbury is only just beginning. Watch out for a Small But MASSIVE stage near you!
To get your tickets to the FINAL Glasgowbury, follow this link.
Hope to see you all there,
The Glasgowbury Team.
