Ebrington Square is set to host only two summer gigs this year, out of the five originally planned. The two gigs that will proceed are the Jika Jika Festival featuring Scottish DJ Ewan McVicar and disco legends Sister Sledge. Unfortunately, three other events scheduled for the former military base have been canceled.
This news comes after a previous dispute over concerts in the square, which led to new arrangements for events at the site in 2024. The Executive Office (TEO), which owns the site, now approves a maximum of five outdoor concerts each year. The council manages the application process for promoters, while event management remains under TEO’s responsibility.
One of the canceled concerts was due to the promoter’s inability to confirm the act, while another withdrew for operational reasons. This leaves only two events scheduled to take place this summer. Concerns have been raised about the market’s strength based on the level of detail provided by promoters in advance.
Ebrington Square has a history of hosting major music events, including BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2013. Despite its potential, some local promoters feel there are too many barriers to organizing shows at the site. Paul Connolly of the band Wood Burning Savages mentioned that the current application process has unrealistic criteria that hinder the potential for larger events at Ebrington.
There is hope that with improvements to the tender process, Ebrington Square could host grand events similar to Belsonic in the future. Local stakeholders believe in the site’s potential and are eager to see it utilized to its fullest capacity. The BBC has reached out to The Executive Office for their comments on the matter.