Tenant Spotlight: AVA
One of the most dynamic electronic music festivals in NI which draws in audiences from all over the island of Ireland, AVA festival never fails to impress with a stellar line-up of both local and international dance acts. While AVA is on every raver’s lips this time of year, what you may not know is that a lot of the plotting and planning of their events happens from right inside the Oh Yeah Centre. They’ve been a tenant of the Oh Yeah centre for nine years, during which time the AVA brand has expanded to new levels.
AVA is so much more than the annual festival at Titanic Slipways - it is a Audio Visual Arts Festival & Conference with a small core team of ten working tirelessly throughout the year to run events in Belfast, London and beyond. There have even been AVA events popping up in Mumbai. Hundreds of artists have been nurtured through AVA’s conferences and the opportunities to showcase their talents at the many club nights that happen year-round.
AVA 10th Anniversary at Titanic Slipways
This year’s 10th anniversary festival is set to be bigger and better than ever. To celebrate 10 years of AVA, there’s a brand new 360 degree stage to elevate the experience of festival-goers. Hometown heroes Bicep will be bringing their Chroma show to this brand new stage, a Belfast debut which will close out the festival. Some other Belfast debuts are lined up across the weekend including UK Jungle and Drum and Bass DJ Nia Archives’ first Belfast performance and rising Irish star Sloucho's debut Boiler Room set. It will also be local legend David Holmes’ very last festival appearance, a historic moment which you won’t want to miss!
Q&A With Sarah McBriar
Meet Sarah McBriar, AVA’s Founder and Creative Director. Sarah is a trailblazer in the electronic music scene and we love to see such strong female representation in this space.
Having previously worked at many big festivals including Glastonbury, Sarah was keen to bring her expertise back home to Belfast to create a multi-stage annual event. This dream came to fruition in the form of AVA, providing a platform for both local and international artists whilst creating an unforgettable atmosphere for the music lovers of Belfast to enjoy.
We caught up with Sarah to learn all about the AVA story up until now and to find out what’s in store for this year’s festival.
What inspired the creation of AVA back in 2015?
‘‘There was a lot of talent already in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Ireland, but it wasn't getting the right platform. What existed in Belfast before AVA was more like headliner-led festivals, so it was just like one show, one act. There was a lack of platforms for artists from all levels, a multi-stage outdoor festival, something that was creatively-led instead of just headliner-led. I was also inspired by my experience working at Glastonbury and other festivals like Manchester International and Sonar, seeing how these multi-stage festivals function - I wanted to see something exciting like this happening in Belfast.’’
What are the benefits of having AVA's Belfast office in the Oh Yeah Centre?
‘‘Oh Yeah is an incredible community of music, media and arts, in the hub of the cathedral quarter. The benefits include being connected to the industry, support from the oh yeah team, connecting with aspiring students and the Belfast music community, and being bang in the middle of it all in Belfast.’’
What value do you feel AVA has brought to the Belfast music scene?
‘‘We were the first to bring Boiler Room to Belfast, that broadcasted artists at all levels to the world and that has really elevated the city and the artists. Similarly we have run a conference, so we've done a lot of education and development which has always been free in Belfast and open to anyone at any age. We've worked with a lot of different kinds of creatives, from AV artists to production specialists. We've done a lot to help encourage more females to have the confidence and courage to become DJs or work in the industry. I think even just having a female doing this also changes the messaging because sadly it is still predominantly male. I think it can only change when there's representation and people willing to stand out from the crowd and do things differently.’’
In what ways has AVA festival transformed since it first began?
‘‘The festival has gotten a lot bigger, it started at 1,500 capacity and now it’s 10,000 per day. It started at T13 which was a warehouse space that had an indoor stage and an outdoor stage, whereas now we’re on the slipways and it's four stages, fully outdoor. We're working with other genres as well. We've had a lot of live acts, Enola Gay and Kojak have played, we had Central Cee last year too. So it's broadening. We’re also doing after parties, a lot of fringe events and we have the conference now as well.’’
What advice would you give to local electronic artists whose ambition it is to see their name on the AVA line-up in the future?
‘‘Focus on evolving your own sound, focus on what your sound is, what really drives you and then building your own audience. The way you get recognised and the way you will ultimately get booked by festivals is by developing your own fan base and that takes work. It's not easy. You need to develop your voice online. You need to be able to go and play wherever you can, even warm up slots to make relationships in the industry with promoters and other artists and DJs. Put on parties for free or super low cost so you can start building that live audience. You got to do the nine yards, it's not easy but you will reap the benefits.’’
What sets this year’s AVA festival apart from previous years?
‘‘All of the headliners bar one have never played AVA before and Nia Archives has never played in Northern Ireland before. Also Kerry Chandler hasn't played in about 10 years in Belfast and then BICEP are bringing their whole new Chroma show. This is David Holmes’ last night performing at a festival and we've also got a lot of new artists coming to Belfast and to Boiler Room. Lots of things are going to be completely new and I think it's gonna be pretty special. We've also redesigned our main stage. We always push to do things a bit differently each year.’’
Why should people buy a ticket and join the dancefloor down at Titanic Slipways at AVA 2024?
‘‘AVA fundamentally is this incredibly welcoming and energetic environment. It's free of judgment. It's super fun and the atmosphere’s unforgettable. We put a lot of attention into the design of the festival and people who come that might not be into electronic music, they'll be really blown away by the experience. It's one of the best days in the year because people come, they have the craic, they meet new people, they dance and they feel very proud of Belfast as well. AVA is like a real marker of how great Belfast is because so many of the acts are local. It's a real celebration and I think the best festivals are like that.’’
AVA 2024 will take place across 31st May and 1st June at Titanic Slipways. Day tickets and weekend tickets on sale now.
Get yours here: https://avafestival.com/belfast/
