Snow Patrol to champion NI talent at Bangor festival
IT’S the huge gig fans were longing for — and now it’s a reality.
Snow Patrol are putting on a festival at Ward Park in Bangor on May 25 next year.
Since the band’s return after a seven-year-hiatus, fans have been anticipating such an announcement, with frontman Gary Lightbody saying he has been asked about it every time he is home.
The group announced Ward Park 3, a hat-trick for the band after their massive gigs there in 2007 and 2010, at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre yesterdayahead of last bnight’s concert in the SSE Arena.
The gig is described as a “celebration of Northern Ireland music”, and Snow Patrol will be joined by a host of local acts including Foy Vance and Ash. There will also be a second stage curated by Snow Patrol and Gary’s NI artist development company Third Bar, which will showcase the future of Northern Ireland music.
Gary said: “The first two Ward Parks were two of the best nights of our lives. The second in particular was probably our favourite gig that we ever did.
“Anytime I go out in Bangor to the shops, the only question I ever get asked is, ‘When is the next Ward Park?’
“And now we’ll be able to tell people, May 25.”
Together for 25 years, the band’s recent and long-awaited return made headlines due to Gary’s honesty about his battle with alcohol, depression and writer’s block. Tickets for Ward Park 3 go on sale on Friday, December 14, at 9am.