Bangor's Open House Festival returns later this week with three weeks of music, comedy, classic cinema, theatre, boat trips and food events.
The majority of the 50 scheduled events will be held in the beautiful surroundings of Bangor Castle Walled Garden under a stretch tent canopy.
There’ll also be four free music concerts in Ward Park each Sunday afternoon of the month, and a free Seaside Revival Vintage Festival on Bangor seafront on Saturday, August 13th.
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“The Walled Garden worked really well for us last year in what was still an uneasy time with Covid constraints,” says Open House director, Kieran Gilmore.
“It’s a magical environment and our audiences love it, so we decided to keep the garden as our key venue for 2022. And with no restrictions in place this year, we expect the reaction from audiences and artists alike to be even more positive.”
The festival has reintroduced food events in some of the Co Down city's top restaurants again this year, while the ever-popular Folk on a Boat and Island Picnic trips also make a return.
Three of the biggest crowd-pullers to the summer-long free Music in the Park concerts at Ward Park will take place during the festival – Revival Picnic on Sunday 14th, Punk in the Park on Sunday 21st, and Bluegrass Picnic on Sunday, 28th.
On Saturday 13th, the free Seaside Revival Vintage Festival returns to Bangor seafront, with live music from rockabilly band The Sabrejets, a classic car and bike show, a vintage car boot sale, vintage fashion shows and makeovers, and much more.
The month will culminate with an acoustic Snow Patrol concert on Bangor Seafront, held in partnership with Ards and North Down Borough Council to celebrate Gary Lightbody receiving the Freedom of the Borough Award.
All profits from the concert will go to The Court House on Quay Street.
The new permanent Open House music venue will open its doors in October following a seven year funding and refurbishment project.
“This will be our ninth annual Bangor Festival and our first in the city of Bangor,” said Kieran.
“It would have been our tenth but for the pandemic, but we’re just grateful to be back bringing a diverse programme of live events to Bangor again. And the fact that the festival concludes with our biggest Bangor event ever is the icing on the cake.”
Tickets for some events are still available, including comedian Nuala McKeever with her new stand-up show, musician Duke Special, English ‘fokltronic’ BRIT award winner, Beth Orton, acclaimed American singer-songwriter Willy Mason, a screening of the classic film, Cabaret, and From Berts to Bangor – a recreation of Belfast’s famous Berts Jazz Bar in Bangor’s Walled Garden.
Most of the Walled Garden events end in time to get the last train home to Belfast.
Open House Festival runs from 11th–31st August. For full details and bookings go to www.openhousefestival.com
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