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AVA Festival Announces New AVA Connections Events in Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin

John Cameron — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:13:44 +0000

AVA Festival has grown by leaps and bounds since it debuted as a single-day event in 2014. The Irish brand will now expanded to include events called AVA Connections in Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin.

The September 23rd gathering in Glasgow features performances by DJ Boring, FJAAK, Eclair Fifi, High Hoops, Bake and Junior. Both the Belfast and Dublin events take place the following night. Billed for the former are Mella Dee, Holly Lester, Inside Moves, and Ricky Chong. The lineup for the latter includes Joy Orbison, DART and Siofra.

AVA Connections’ organizers tout the events as “community-led parties” in “three of our favorite places.” They intend to showcase “international talent, vital local artists, and cutting-edge venues pushing our scene forward.”

Sarah McBriar launched AVA after finding inspiration during a visit to longtime Somerset, England gathering Glastonbury Festival. Following the the inaugural 2014 event, it grew to a weekend-long gathering that also serves as a music industry conference. Previous editions of the festival have billed the likes of Bicep, Ejeca, Floorplan, Helena Hauff, Rebekah and Honey Dijon.

Additional headliners have yet to be announced for the Glasgow event, according to a flyer. Purchase tickets and find additional information on the AVA Festival website.

Producer/DJ Marion Hawkes Opens Record Store, Sound Advice, in Belfast

Andy MacDonald — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 19:14:08 +0000

Irish producer and DJ Marion Hawkes has opened a vinyl record store called Sound Advice in Belfast. Open from Tuesday-Saturday between 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, the store is located in the PortView Trade Centre.

Before COVID-19, Hawkes regularly toured north and south Ireland. She is the co-founder of DJ/producer duo GIRL and helps organize Ponyhawke, a monthly queer-friendly underground club night. On top of this, she also helps organize the record fairs for AVA Festival, an annual audiovisual arts festival that takes place in Belfast.

According to the store’s Instagram page, Sound Advice will reflect Hawkes’ taste in music, ranging from disco, jazz, dub, reggae, techno, breaks and more. They plan to stock new and pre-owned vinyl records. To help diversify their selection, they also purchase record collections ranging from a handful to hundreds.

Speaking with record label The Vinyl Factory, Hawkes stated, “I wanted to create a safe, inclusive space that everyone can enjoy, even those who are just starting to get into vinyl. I never want it to feel intimidating. Ultimately I just want to make a space people can feel comfortable in and find some good music.”

Last Saturday, the store hosted a launch party with three DJ sets running from 1:00 PM-6:00 PM.

AVA Festival in Belfast Announces 2021 Edition

John Cameron — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 21:24:06 +0000

As with countless event brands across the world, Belfast conference and gathering AVA Festival were forced to take their 2020 event online as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. Organizers have shared plans to move forward with the 2021 event, however. It’s slated to take place on May 28th and 29th at South Belfast’s Boucher Road Playing Fields.

For £15, attendee hopefuls can make a deposit to secure their entry into the 2021 edition of AVA Festival. They will not be required to pay anything additional through the end of 2020. The remainder of the cost will be payable in either two or three installments refundable if the date changes or the event is canceled altogether.

Boasting headliners like Laurent Garnier, Orbital, Fatima Yamaha and Max Cooper, the 2020 event was canceled in late March as lawmakers the world over scrambled to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In its place, an online weekender was held featuring live-streamed performances by Denis Sulta, Or:la and Space Dimension, among others.

Reserve tickets or find additional information on the AVA Festival website.