Belfast’s AVA Festival returns for its twelfth edition at Titanic Slipways from 29th to 30th May 2026.
This year’s festival celebrating music, visual arts, community and contemporary culture will feature this first wave of acts just announced:
Local boys Kneecap headline along with Galway electronic producer star Kettama, the Japanese eclectic selector ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, a live set from Blawan, Chicago house DJ Honey Dijon, and revered and DJ deep thinkers and diggers Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew, Chloé Caillet and Derry’s Or:la, and slots for Irish underground rapper deathtoricky and electronic-trad band Huartan.
AVA Festival first wave announcement
- KETTAMA
- KNEECAP
- ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U
- Annie Mac
- Honey Dijon
- Blawan (Live)
- Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew
- Interplanetary Criminal
- Cromby, Cormac
- Or:La
- Chloé Caillet
- Calibre
- Holly Lester
- Takuya Nakamura
- Evian Christ
- Surusinghe
- 1tbsp
- riria
- Angel D’Lite
- deathtoricky
- Huartan
- Holly Lester
- Sam Girling
- Aika Mal
- Oblig b2b Hannah
- Body Clinic
- Puzzy Wrangler
- Sophie
- Chris Flannigan
- CIAN
- Matcha
- Twitch
- Plain Sailing
- Cartin
- Lorcan Kelly
- Princess Glitoris
- plus many more still to be announced.
The 2026 edition will introduce new additions across the wider festival experience and programme, reflecting the explosive musical output emerging from the UK and Ireland, alongside AVA’s evolving artistic and experiential elements.
To mark the line-up announcement, AVA collaborated with London-based Irish Director Hugh Mulhern on a bespoke animated short film, drawing inspiration from this year’s line-up..
AVA Festival Tickets
- Pre-sale weekend tickets go on sale via Resident Advisor at 10:00 am Thurs, 29th January. Sign up.
- General release tickets follow at 10:00 am on Friday, 30th January ➔ Recommended accommodation options.
- AVA Belfast ticket tiers:
- ➔ Weekend Tickets – full access across the festival programme.
- ➔ Group Tickets – discounted bundles for groups attending together.
- ➔ Deposit / Instalment Tickets – secure your place with a small upfront payment and spread the cost.
“As AVA Festival enters its twelfth year in 2026, it continues to be shaped by a long-standing commitment to platforming creativity, nurturing innovation, and celebrating artistry across music and culture. For over a decade, AVA has been a safe & inclusive space where new ideas take form and emerging voices find their moment — from landmark live performances on home ground to artists stepping into global recognition. Our role as a festival is to curate, reflect culture and bring forward raw and undeniable artistic talent and to create a shared space and freedom for an audience to explore, engage and emotionally connect with a wide range of sounds & genres. We programme artists, not because everyone will agree with them, but because their work resonates and reflects their lived experience. That has always been the role of art; and that spirit remains at the core of this year’s programme: a forward-looking, boundary-pushing gathering rooted in music & culture.”
–Sarah McBriar – Founder & Creative Director – AVA Festival
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
