Welcome return for Belfast Blues Festival

The 13th Guinness Belfast City Blues Festival is back and is set to take place over three days in 14 venues with 29 acts and almost 40 gigs.
From left Seamus O'Neill (Belfast City Blues Festival director), Lord Mayor Michael Long, performer Lee Hedley and Austen Guy (account executive at Diageo) at the launch of the 2022 Guinness Belfast City Blues Festival.
Photo: Tina Calder / Excalibur PressFrom left Seamus O'Neill (Belfast City Blues Festival director), Lord Mayor Michael Long, performer Lee Hedley and Austen Guy (account executive at Diageo) at the launch of the 2022 Guinness Belfast City Blues Festival.
Photo: Tina Calder / Excalibur Press
From left Seamus O'Neill (Belfast City Blues Festival director), Lord Mayor Michael Long, performer Lee Hedley and Austen Guy (account executive at Diageo) at the launch of the 2022 Guinness Belfast City Blues Festival. Photo: Tina Calder / Excalibur Press

Taking place from 24th-26th June, the launch saw Lee Hedley Blues Band take to the stage at Kelly’s Cellars in the city recently.

The three day festival provides a yearly platform for established and up and coming blues artists to showcase their talent and skills to live audiences across each of the bars in Belfast.

Festival director Seamus O’Neill said: “The Guinness Belfast City Blues Festival 2022 is dedicated to the late Belfast Blues Legend Rab McCullough; and is also a tribute to Gregory “Murph The Blues Brother” McGeown and James “Jamesy” Carson, two major volunteers and attendees of the festival in past years.

“Following the 2021 launch of the Guinness Blues Café, a testament to the local talent, the festival has over 50 gigs to follow along the blues trail; including performances from The Rev Doc & The Flying Squad, The Red Hot Roosters, The Sabrejets, Crow Black Chicken, The Pat McManus Band, Sam Davidson’s Taste, The Willie Byrne Band, Symply Skynyrd, LIGHT, The Rev Doc Duo, The Ronnie Greer Band, The Chris Taplin Blues Band, Robin BiBi Band, Tony Villiers & The Villains, Dom Martin & His Band, Mike Wilgar & The Crack Pot Preachers, Backbone Blues Band, Kick The Bucket Blues Band, Frank Carberry Blues Set, Brian Mc Kenna’s Swing Tribute, Davy Watson Solo, Terry Sharpe & Co, Speedy Mullan Blues Band, Ian Sands & The Blues Katz, Taylor Sisk & Co, The Unholy Gospel Band, The Lee Hedley Band, Otis & The Elevators, and The Ronnie Greer Band featuring Anthony Toner.”

The trail will be hitting a variety of local venues, such as Kelly’s Cellars, Black Box, Ramada by Wyndham, Granny Annies, The Deer’s Head, The Ulster Sports Club, The Dirty Onion, St Georges Market, and more.

The 2022 festival is in support of The People’s Kitchen, a Belfast based charity that is host to an incredibly active food bank, provides food delivery to those in need, and also supplies clothes and advice to the homeless and families in need.

Related topics: