ALL SET FOR INDIE 18 IN MITCHELSTOWN
MITCHELSTOWN SET FOR A MAJOR FINANCIAL BOOST WITH INDIE FEVER SET TO SWEEP THE TOWN
THE STAGES are set for arguably the biggest musical and arts extravaganza of the Cork summer, with 10,000 festival goers set to descend on Mitchelstown over the bank-holiday weekend.
The 2018 Indiependence Music and Arts Festival will kick-off on Friday evening and with forecasters predicting temperatures in the mid-20’s it promises to be a fantastic weekend of top-shelf music, comedy, art and good old banter and craic.
Now in its 13th year, ‘Indie’ has developed from humble beginnings in the Town Square into one of the country’s most exciting and eclectic summer festivals, with people travelling from all over Ireland and across Europe to savour its unique flavour and special atmosphere.
For a festival of its relatively modest size, Indie has garnered a well-deserved reputation for punching well above its weight, with the list of Irish and international acts that have headlined the festival over the years reading like a ‘who’s, who’ of the contemporary music scene.
Once again organisers have pulled out all the stops, putting together a seriously impressive line-up again this year with Dingle’s finest, Walking On Cars, UK singer/songwriter Jake Bugg and legendary indie band Primal Scream heading the bill.
In addition, the festival’s music stages will host a number of top Irish and international names with King Kong Company, Kate Nash, Delorentos, Cast, Hudson Taylor, La Galaxie and Ham Sandwich also on the lists of the more than 100 acts set to play the Deer Park venue over the weekend.
Discovering new music is always one of the joys of Indie, with no shortage of up-coming also bands set to grace its various stages over the course of the bank-holiday weekend.
Event co-founder and organiser Shane Dunne said it was important that ‘Indie’ retained its reputation for giving exposure to indigenous music.
“The festival has acted as a proving ground for upcoming Irish acts and provided a stage for people to enjoy more established acts in a proper festival environment. The promotion of Irish talent has, and always will be, a major part of our ethos,” he said.
One new addition this year will be the Urban Village Stage, which will feature a line-up of top Irish hip-hop artists.
As its name would suggest, Indie is not just about the music, with plenty of other attractions taking place across the redesigned festival site over the weekend.
These will include the spoken word element of the festival on The Little Big Stage featuring Jinx Lennon and US multi-slam champion Clara Rose Thornton with ‘Culture Vultures’, a themed pop culture event of words and music curated by Irish Times music writer Tony Clayton-Lea will make a welcome return to the Beer Hall.
That will also be the venue for this year’s comedy offering, which will be curated by Andrew Stanley and will feature performances by some of Ireland’s best known comedic talent.
A small number of weekend tickets for Indie 2018 are still available and a limited number of day tickets will be available on the gate.
For more information about Indie 2018 and ticket availability visit www. indiependencefestival.com.
Shane urged people to ensure they get their tickets before they sell out.
“The site is looking great after an amazing summer here at Deer Farm and we can’t wait to open the gates to our brilliant patrons on Friday,” said Shane.
“Our advice is to bring plenty of sun cream and we hope everyone has a fantastic time,” he added.