City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival Thursday, April 27th – Monday May 1st
Jazz, swing, big band, rockabilly and all points in between are represented at this year’s City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival. Now in its 22nd year, the Derry Jazz Festival rivals the Cork Jazz Festival in popularity and sheer scale. This year’s programme is staggering in its size – featuring A LOT of acts playing across nearly 70 venues across the city. Highlights include Luke Thomas & the Swing Cats, The Jiveoholics and The Red Stripe Band, but the full array of international and local acts is mild-melting.
Tickets are available here.
Riverfest Limerick Friday April 28th – Monday May 1st
Limerick comes alive this Bank Holiday weekend (not that it’s not breathing healthily the rest of the year!) as the city’s premier summer festival – and one of the most wide-reaching and imaginative, in the country – takes place. Hitting all interest points for all ages, this year’s Riverfest includes a dizzying array of choices from flyboarding, food markets, live entertainment day and night, the River Festival Village in Arthur’s Quay Park, the Great Limerick Run sponsored by Regeneron, a panoramic Ferris wheel, a massive barbecue event, adventure zones and scavenger hunts for kids, a naval vessel simulator and a fireworks display.
More info is available here.
BIMM All Ages Gig @ Workman’s Saturday, April 29th
On Saturday BIMM will host an All-Ages Gig at The Workman’s Club. The gig will feature some of the best up-and-coming Irish bands including Post-Party, Still Blue and Viscose. Doors will open at 12:30, and the first performance will commence at 13:00. Admission is free and the event is open to all, be it current BIMM students, graduates, 2023 applicants, or anyone who loves live music!
Happy Days Beer & Food Festival @ Rascals Brewing Co. Saturday, April 29th – Sunday, April 30th
Happy Days Beer & Food Festival offers a fantastic opportunity to sample some top-class craft beers and delicious food in a lively atmosphere. The festival is held at Rascals Brewing Company HQ, which is located in Inchicore. Tickets include a souvenir reusable eco-cup pint, which you can keep and use for the day and then bring home and put on your mantelpiece. PLUS: a free brewery tour is on offer too! Anyone who buys a ticket can sign up for a free brewery tour and learn all about brewing and Rascal’s story.
Tickets are available here.
Really Good Time @ Workman’s Saturday, April 29th
For just over a year now, Really Good Time has been making waves in the public eye. They’ve taken to touring the UK independently, selling out headline shows, and gaining a devoted following with their electrifying live performances. Through a couple of singles and videos, they’ve established a unique world of art-rock bravado, where it seems perfectly natural for a rising band to proclaim themselves as the greatest in the world and premiere their second music video with a red carpet event at a local pub. Recently, their latest single, “Really Good Song,” was featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Rock and Hot New Bands playlists, further cementing their position as a band to watch.
Tickets are available here.
Dublin Gay Theatre Festival May 1st – 14th
Celebrating its 20th anniversary (it was founded in 2004 to mark Oscar Wilde’s 150th birthday), this year’s International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (IDGTF) kicks off on May 1. Acting as an outlet for emerging gay artists, it has grown into the largest gay and LGBTQ+ arts festival in the world. This year’s event features 24 plays and events across 5 venues and 2 weeks.
Tickets are available here.