Dublin is all set for a series of gigs to be held at Marlay Park starting next week. Almost 240,000 people are likely to be in attendance.
“Ireland has got the greatest number of concerts per capita of anywhere in the world. It sold tickets better than anywhere in the world,” says Melvin Benn, chief executive of Festival Republic.
He believes there’ll be a lot more concerts happening in the coming years catering to Ireland’s increasing love for live music.
“Ireland absolutely loves music. This is one of the most beautiful parks that we have ever put concerts on anywhere around the world. It’s going to be a popular location both for fans and for the bands”.
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The line up for this year’s gigs begin with Pearl Jam performing on Saturday, June 22nd, followed by Green Day’s performance next week on Thursday, June 27th.
Central Cee and Doja Cat will be the headline performers during the two-day Longitude festival. UK rap star Central Cee will perform for his Irish fans on Saturday, June 29th along with British-award winning singer and songwriter Becky Hill.
Grammy-Award winning superstar Doja Cat’s Longitude performance will be held on Sunday, June 30th. After 2018 Doja Cat will perform for the first time for her Irish fans.
“The most beautiful thing is that the bands and artists come out on to the stage to face one of the most receptive audiences in the world, the Irish audience”, said Melvin Benn.
Music lovers will also see other acts at the two-day Longitude festival including, 21 Savage, Belters Only, blk, D-Block Europe, Sonny Fodera, Joel Corry, Jazzy and Kenya Grace.
Irish singer and songwriter Hozier will perform for his fans on Friday, July 5th at Marlay Park. The last day of the festivities will be on Saturday, July 6th with the performance of the American rock band Kings of Leon.
“Hozier and Pearl Jam are already sold out. Hozier was the fastest sell out that we have seen here at Marlay Park. The rest of them are also selling well. There are only a couple tickets left now,” says Benn.
Fans have been urged to plan an extra three-hour travel time to and from the venue and take public transport to avoid unnecessary traffic jam and disturbance to nearby residents.
“There’ll be 240,000 people and the gardaí will have a presence here to cater for that amount of people. We have been working on a significant policing plan for the last couple of months, including traffic management. We are asking people to be cognisant and not park their vehicle in the residential area.” says Supt Bróna O’Reilly during a press briefing.
A special transport and coach service will be available from North Wall Quay in the city centre directly to Marlay Park, tickets for that can be booked online in advance.
“We would ask people to use public transport as much as possible, that have been put out specially for these concerts,” says Supt O’Reilly.