Major acts announced for Waves festival

THIS year’s Waves Music Festival was launched at Loftus Hall on Friday, with headline acts Ham Sandwich and Paddy Casey. 2017 is the second year of this boutique family music festival, and will see this beautiful and historic location extending its offering with new zones, accompanied by numerous Irish music artists and bands. There will be surge of spectacles for the younger festival goers too, with a free play garden and children’s entertainers.

The Waves Festival takes place over the weekend of the August 26 and August 27, with free car parking on festival days, and free RV and camper van parking on Friday and Saturday night.

For those who don’t have a camper van and still wish to experience the great outdoors at Waves, Cloudhouses home of Yurts and Squrts will look after all your needs.

Rebecca Doyle, one of the Waves Festival organisers and Fethard RNLI Fundraising Committee Member, was delighted with the launch turn out. She said: ‘In 2017 Waves Festival at Loftus Hall will continue from last year in being an all-encompassing event and a fundraiser for the RNLI. Last year’s Waves Festival contributed towards Fethard RNLI’s special appeal, which has secured a new inshore lifeboat for the station and this will be in service later this year.

‘It’s fantastic that the festival’s charity remains the RNLI. I have no doubt the public will once again come behind the event and support the charity with €2.50 from each ticket purchased going to the RNLI.’

Enormous strides have been made already in 2017 at Loftus Hall, and the formal Victorian Garden and renovation of Lady Jane’s Room will be used at Waves for the ‘Lords and Ladies’ (+18) area, serving afternoon tea and champagne.

On Saturday, August 26, the headline act, Ham Sandwich, who are well-known for their explosive live performances, are a ‘must see’.

Also performing is Paddy Casey, the Crumlin musician who has been at the forefront of the Irish music scene since his debut album ‘Amen (So Be It)’ in 1999. Casey was headline of this year’s Temple Bar Tradfest in January and will lighten up the stage alongside Wexford’s very own Corner Boy, and Heroes in Hiding.

An exciting new addition in 2017 is an intimate acoustic stage which will be running all weekend in the Loftus formal garden area. The 4 of Us (Acoustic Show) will perform on Saturday, August 26, with a variety of supporting artists, and on Sunday, August 27, local artists and bands will take to the stage.