Boutique Laois music festival adds James and many more to a stellar line-up

The competition is hot in Laois for music festival tickets, with yet another announcement this Friday of a host of big names for a new boutique festival.

The second ever Forest Fest weekend festival takes place this July again in Emo village, and the local organisers are pulling out all the stops to bring an incredible line-up of acts, both international and local, new and retro.

This Friday, as Electric Picnic announced another wave of acts and ticket sales for their event in September in Stradbally, Forest Fest also announced more acts.

James have been announced to headline the opening Friday of the Forest Fest weekend in Emo village in Laois next summer.

Joining them on the bill as part of a sensational second pre-Christmas reveal for the award winning festival will be BellX1 (below), Suzanne Vega and former Joy Division and New Order’s Peter Hook and The Light.

It follows on from fifteen acts headed by Suede, announced a fortnight ago, with Forest Fest keen to fulfil their title as the
Best Festival in the Midlands winner.

Also included in today’s reveal are Alabama 3, Allie Sherlock, Apollo Junction, Bleach Lab, Dream Wife, Duke Special, Emer Dunne, In Tua Nua, Lavengro, 49 th &Main, Roisin O, Robert Grace, The Barley Mob, The Lost Messiahs, The Outcast Crew, Trouble Pilgrims, Bone Machine, Pogueology, These Charming Men, The Classic Beatles and The Walkeleles.

Joining them across four stages at Forest Fest next summer will be Suede, Ash, Big Country, The Proclaimers, Gabrielle, Nik Kershaw, The Undertones, Bronagh Gallagher & Band, Carrie Baxter, Frank and Walters, Hermitage Green, Jack Lukeman, N.O.A.H, Pastiche, Something Happens, Sharon Shannon, The Primitives, The Riptide Movement, and Walk the Line.

Forest Fest founder and promoter is Laois solicitor Philip Meagher.

“We always said that the line-up, the bands and the artists speak for themselves and that it’s the performers and the fans that ultimately make the festival. We have tried to live up to that ethos and go out before Christmas with the best line-up possible. We honestly believe this is the best line-up in the country for next summer, featuring the finest established acts alongside the best emerging new talent, and we’re not finished yet,” said the promoter.

Next Friday, they are promising to announce details of ‘The Forest Fleadh’ a festival within a festival.

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“This Forest Fest line-up oozes excitement, energy and entertainment and we have yet to put the finishing touches to it with more special acts and another incredible headliner which we will announce in the new year. In the meantime, music enthusiasts can look forward to next Friday when we reveal the set-up and the acts for our first ever, ‘Forest Fleadh’, which is our homage to and a celebration of the absolute best of Irish folk and trad genres, a virtual festival within a festival,” Philip said.

Forest Fest tickets are on sale starting at €85 for flexible day tickets and €190 for the full weekend on www.forestfest.ie via Eventbrite. Described as a family friendly indie boutique festival, children aged 12 and under attend free, once accompanied by an adult ticket holder.

The second Forest Fest takes place at Emo village in Co Laois from July 21 to 23 next year.