Bangor's Open House Festival have announced their line-up for August 2021.
The festival promises to bring music, comedy, spoken word, classic cinema and more to the beautiful settings of Bangor's Castle Walled Garden.
The festival will take place across three weeks. All events will be open air, fully seated, and in line with rules for Covid safety. Audiences will also be sheltered from the weather via a stretch canvas cover.
Open House Festival has emerged as one of the highlights on Bangor's summer calendar in recent years. The festival normally brings together over 100 events across more than 40 venues.
Despite being slightly reduced this year to keep in line with Covid restrictions, there's still plenty on offer for festival fans.
Headline acts include Irish musician Mary Coughlan, local star Duke Special, Adam Kay (comedian, doctor and author of the best-selling memoir This Is Going to Hurt), and bestselling Irish author Marian Keyes.
As we as that, there's a host of local comedic talent, in the form of Shane Todd and Paddy Raff.
Speaking about the festival, Festival Director Kieran Gilmore said: “If there is one thing the past year has taught us, it’s to appreciate what we have on our own doorsteps.
"We have all been very active in supporting our local shops, businesses and restaurants, and we believe that ethos should include the championing of local artists and performers.
“Organising this year’s festival has been extremely difficult, and we have been working blind to a large degree,” says Kieran. “Obviously, the situation has affected every element of our planning – from audience numbers, to staging, to ticket prices, but our team has worked tirelessly to create a safe space and deliver a dynamic programme of events. We firmly believe people will be so happy to be back at live events that they will work with us to ensure we deliver them safely, and within the law.”
