Friday’s proceedings include CENCH aka Central Cee, the West London rapper who was the most-streamed UK Hip Hop artist in 2022, with hits like ‘Doja Cat’ and ‘Let Go’ he will take to the mainstage in a huge Belfast debut. International house and techno polymath Peggy Gou has joined the bill to blend genres and styles with her amazing headline energy. On a homegrown Irish rap tip there’s Kojaque and returning favorites Overmono will play another electric live set, Job Jobse will make a highly anticipated return to the festival, Héctor Oaks and DJ Heartstring will bring their trademark takes on house, techno, trance and breaks to the AVA agenda, plus many more.
Saturday
Moving into the Saturday and there’s another serious session set for the day, headlined by UK alternative prodigy Slowthai. Fresh off the back from releasing his new album UGLY, Slowthai will his bring raucous, raw live energy to Belfast. Also on board for day two is Hessle Audio co-founder and all round good egg, Ben UFO, plus a very special B2B between two Irish and AVA OG’s - OR:LA b2B Sally C,Also on board for Saturday - they’ll be heavy and hard-hitting bass music mutations from Blawan and KETTAMA, whilst both Eliza Rose, Interplanetary Criminal and Yung Singh & many more.
For its ninth edition, AVA expands its music programming style – pulling together a diverse selection of artists, from their original electronic underground roots to rap, hip-hop, grime, RnB and more across two days, and four unique stages in their Titanic Slipways home. With just two months to go, AVA can now announce day tickets for Friday and Saturday are available from £55 for day passes - tickets available Friday at 10 AM
via Resident Advisor.
FRIDAY
Central Cee - Peggy Gou - Overmono KOJAQUE Job Jobse - Héctor Oaks southstar DJ Heartstring - I.Jordan - Jossy Mitsu - Pretty Girl Live - imnotyourmate - Spray - Efa O’Neill - Swoose - Carlton Doom Mount Palomar - Crilli DnB - Brién - Caoimhe - Nez - Plain Sailing - Dallas - Cricky - Blark - Nikki O - KEM - Danse Intermission - Paudie
SATURDAY
Slowthai - Ben UFO - Boiler Room sets: KETTAMA - Eliza Rose - Special AV closing show: OR:LA b2B Sally C - Blawan - SPFDJ - KI/KI - DJ Boring - Interplanetary Criminal - Yung Singh - XCLUB - Funk Tribu Kessler - Timmy Stewart - Holly Lester - Jordan Nocturne - Emby - Marion Hawkes - Twitch -Inside Moves - Cartin - Cyence -Ricky Chong - Síofra - Reger -Hannah
Boiler Room at The Nomadic
AVA Festival has grown to be a hugely impactful event in Ireland’s cultural calendar, championing homegrown heroes whilst inviting international heavyweights DJs and live acts to Belfast. Boiler Room has been a staple of AVA since day one, each year known for sets encapsulating the energy of the boisterous Belfast crowd. Now, AVA can share details of who’ll be playing each day on the hugely popular Nomadic Stage which returns to bring unparalleled levels of hi-energy to get the crowds going. Friday sees I. Jordan, DJ Heartstring, Jossy Mitsu, imnotyourmate, Spray, and Efa O’Neill on board. Whilst Saturday sees a lot of in-demand artists on board - Kettama, Eliza Rose, Interplanetary Criminal, X CLUB., Marion Hawkes and Reger all set for 2023’s AVA x Boiler Room.
BBC Radio Ulster
BBC Radio Ulster will also return to broadcast live from the festival for the third year running. AVA and the BBC ATL Introducing team have fortified a partnership with grassroots music and emerging artists at it’s core, and a goal to amplify the message and sounds of these artists internationally through the BBC’s longstanding digital and satellite channels.
“BBC Radio Ulster is delighted to be able to bring an exclusive live broadcast from AVA festival in June. Electronic music has always been about pushing boundaries, and having a world-class event showcasing global superstars alongside emerging local talent here on our doorstep is something for us all to be excited about. Our coverage will be available on the free BBC Sounds app and you can hear more music recorded at the event on ATL Introducing, Beat Seekers and The House Party with Phil Taggart across BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle.”– Carole O’Kane (BBC Radio Ulster)
The AVA ethos has always been to showcase the incredible talent that is born / bred in Ireland, and to showcase to the world the magic of the Belfast craic. AVA has provided countless opportunities for artists, DJs, producers, AV artists, creators and industry folk to grow and develop their own careers. From their emerging talent competitions, DJ slots, or behind the scenes work positions, the festival has become integral to the fabric of the creative cultural community in the proud city of Belfast and beyond.
More information regarding afterparties and AVA conference to be announced in coming weeks.
Individual Day Tickets go on sale at 9AM on Friday 31/3/23
2023 TICKETS - Day, Weekend, Group & Deposit-scheme tickets
Social Media Links
AVA on Instagram - AVA on Tiktok - AVA on Facebook - AVA on Twitter - AVA on YouTube - AVA on Discord