AVA Festival
{{Short description|Music Festival in Northern Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox music festival
| name = AVA Festival
| image = AVA Festival Logo 2024.png
| image_size = 150px
| alt =
| caption =
| genre = audio and visual arts festival
| dates =
| location = Belfast, Northern Ireland
| coordinates =
| years_active = 2015 -
| founders = Sarah McBriar
| organised =
| capacity =
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
The AVA Festival is a Belfast-based recurring event for the audio and visual arts, founded in 2015. Initially a one-day event, the festival has grown to take place over a weekend. It has been held at various sites in Belfast, including an old B&Q warehouse, playing fields, and the Titanic Slipway. The festival includes international and local acts, and artists that have played at the festival include Holly Lester, Larry Heard, LSDXOXO, Orbital, and Bicep. AVA events have also been held in Holland, Great Britain, and India.
History
The festival was founded in 2015 by Sarah McBriar, brother of Matthew McBriar of Bicep, who following attending the Glastonbury Festival had wanted to bring a similar event to Belfast. The name AVA was derived as an acronym for Audio, Visual, and Arts.{{cite news |last1=O'Reilly |first1=Seamas |title=AVA Festival: the woman behind Belfast's Glastonbury – The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/ava-festival-the-woman-behind-belfast-s-glastonbury-1.3507313 |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=Irish Times |date=29 May 2018 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928012152/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/ava-festival-the-woman-behind-belfast-s-glastonbury-1.3507313 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Our Story - AVA Festival 2024 |url=https://avafestival.com/ourstory/ |website=AVA Festival |access-date=29 March 2024 |quote=Since 2015, AVA has hosted over 100 events and festivals |archive-date=10 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210103959/https://avafestival.com/ourstory/ |url-status=live }} While the inaugural event was in Belfast in 2015, the festival has also been held in Mumbai, Amsterdam, Glasgow and London. The initial event had {{circa|1,500}} attendees for a one-day event, which by 2022 had increased in time-span to be a weekend event with {{circa|16,000}} attendees.{{cite news |last1=McGoran |first1=Peter |title=Review: AVA Festival makes its triumphant return to Belfast |url=https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/review-ava-festival-makes-triumphant-21680467 |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=Belfast Live |date=26 September 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524204433/https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/review-ava-festival-makes-triumphant-21680467 |url-status=live }} In 2018 the event was held in an "old B&Q warehouse", the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 the event was held at the Boucher Road Playing Fields in Belfast, and in 2022 AVA was held at the Titanic Slipway also in Belfast.
Content
The event typically has performances from electronic dance music acts, which include both local "homegrown" and more internationally recognised musicians. Artists that have played at AVA include Holly Lester, Larry Heard, LSDXOXO, Orbital, and Bicep.{{cite news |last1=Coleman |first1=Maureen |title=Belfast-born music and arts festival bigger than ever after 10 years of growth |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/features/belfast-born-music-and-arts-festival-bigger-than-ever-after-10-years-of-growth/a1905137962.html |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=22 January 2024 |archive-date=5 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205075422/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/features/belfast-born-music-and-arts-festival-bigger-than-ever-after-10-years-of-growth/a1905137962.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Townsend |first1=Megan |title=Review: AVA was a vibrant, euphoric but subdued return to raving in Belfast - Features - Mixmag |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/review-ava-belfast-fjaak-optimo-carista-festival |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=Mixmag |date=10 October 2021 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324163256/https://mixmag.net/feature/review-ava-belfast-fjaak-optimo-carista-festival |url-status=live }} The festival also includes talk and lectures. AVA has been described in the music press as "one of the world's most exciting electronic festivals", and has been credited as creating a "second age of rave" in Northern Ireland.{{cite news |last1=Fielding |first1=Amy |title=How AVA Festival is creating a second age of rave in Northern Ireland - DJ Mag |url=https://djmag.com/features/how-ava-festival-creating-second-age-rave-northern-ireland |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=DJ Mag |date=4 July 2022 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324164758/https://djmag.com/features/how-ava-festival-creating-second-age-rave-northern-ireland |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Ahmed |first1=Aneesa |title=Irish jewel: AVA is one of the world's most exciting electronic festivals - Features - Mixmag |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/ava-festival-belfast-review-2022-titanic-slipways |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=Mixmag |date=29 June 2022 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324131738/https://mixmag.net/feature/ava-festival-belfast-review-2022-titanic-slipways |url-status=live }}
References
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