Packed programme for 16th annual Gig’n The Bann festival

The 16th Gig’n The Bann cross-community music and dance festival has become one of the major events on the summer festival calendar having built a reputation for offering a most impressive line-up of top performers spanning Traditional, Scottish and Folk Music circles.

The ethos of the festival is to bring together musical traditions across all cultural divides and the direction pursued in recent years has been to incorporate the Ulster Scots tradition alongside Traditional Irish music.

This has greatly enhanced audience participation in a diverse range of events.

It has also meant that people from different sides of the community have become exposed to music, song and dance that they may not have been familiar with before.

The Festival programme for 2015 will again include the usual mix of concerts, Traditional Music sessions and the Bard’n the Bann competition which features local writers and now in its sixth year continues to grow as an integral part of the festival.

There is also the opportunity to hear world class pipe bands at the Pipe’n the Bann event which is usually one of the highlights of the festival.

The main festival concerts are held in ‘The Old Shirt Factory’, a really unique venue.

As the title suggests this is a disused shirt factory, which is now a listed building due to its historical importance in the village.

The factory is converted into a 500 seat capacity concert hall with a first class light and sound system.

The organising committee hope that the 2015 Gig’n The Bann Festival programme will be even more entertaining than previous years so if you feel you would like to experience the unique welcome afforded to all visitors who spend the weekend in the village check out festival website for full events listings and updates.

What’s on

Thursday, September, 3: 5K Run’n the Bann/Walk’n the Bann at 7pm. Registration from 6pm to 6.45pm at 1st Portglenone Presbyterian Church Hall.

Friday, September, 4: Art Exhibition by Conor Larkin at the Wild Duck Inn, 6pm to 9pm. Concert featuring Aurora and The Illegals with Niamh Kavanagh in the Wild Duck Inn at 8pm.

Saturday, September 5: Art Exhibition by Conor Larkin at the Wild Duck Inn, 11am to 7pm. Pipe’n The Bann at Bank Square, 1pm to 5pm. Cafe Sessions at 3 Sixteen Coffee Shop and the Rose Cafe, 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Family Fun Day at Playing Fields, Townhill Road, from 2pm to 5pm. Festival Concert featuring Breaking Trad & Catherine Grimley, and The Red Hot Chilli Pipers at Wild Duck Riverside Suite 8.30pm. Acoustic Café at 3 Sixteen coffeee shop, Main Street.

Sunday, September 6: Art Exhibition by Conor Larkin at Wild Duck Inn, 11am to 7pm. Praise’n the Bann at Bank Square, 6.30pm. Contribution to Music Awards and Concert featuring The Gribbin Girls and Phil Coulter at the Ann O’Brien Stage, Wild Duck Riverside Suite, 7.30pm. Acoustic Café at 3 Sixteen coffee shop, Main Street, 9pm to late.

Tickets can be purchased in Portglenone from All Occasions or Cards & Candy.

Tickets can be reserved by emailing [email protected]