NI fests Emerge and Belsonic boost economy by £30m
The 2023 editions of Belsonic Festival and Emerge Music Festival generated additional economic activity amounting to £30.8 million (€36m) and created almost 6,000 paid employment opportunities according to an independent report.
Belsonic, in the city’s Ormeau Park, and Emerge, held in Boucher Fields, attracted more than 200,000 paid attendees between them, with ticket holders travelling from as far away as Australia, USA & mainland Europe – further boosting the events’ impact on Northern Ireland’s tourism sector.
Economist Chris Carey conducted the study alongside live entertainment consultant Tim Chambers. They found that Belsonic, which was established in 2008 and has since become Northern Ireland’s largest live music event, generated £20.4m of additional economic activity last year, thanks in no small part to a lineup that included Lizzo, Tom Jones, Lionel Richie, George Ezra, David Guetta & Florence & The Machine.
Emerge, which launched in 2022, has quickly established itself as Ireland’s premier electronic music festival. Its 2023 two-day edition featured over 50 acts across four stages, including headliners Carl Cox, Bicep, Camelphat, and Charlotte deWitte.
“Events such as Belsonic and Emerge are considerable economic drivers providing a much needed boost for our local tourism and hospitality industry”
“These economic impact figures are startling, and clearly indicative of the broader & hugely positive economic benefit to Belfast and beyond,” says festival director Alan Simms. “Hospitality businesses, private transport, public services and many other key areas of the local economy benefit on show nights, and the local tourism industry and hotel occupancy always see a strong boost, not to mention the thousands of staff and local suppliers employed at these and our other events.
“We are delighted to see our events contribute to the local economy in such a substantial fashion both with the large summer events and the many other concerts and event we produce throughout the rest of the year.”
Welcoming the research of Carey and Chambers, Northern Ireland Economy Minister Conor Murphy comments, “Events such as Belsonic and Emerge are considerable economic drivers providing a much needed boost for our local tourism and hospitality industry. Employing thousands of people each year, they also engender a feel good factor and a sense of pride that shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Promising further contribution to Belfast’s coffers, Belsonic returns to Ormeau Park in June, where headliners will be Take That, Sting, Shania Twain, Becky Hill & Limp Bizkit. Emerge, meanwhile, is promising a substantial expansion for its 2024 event, which is scheduled for 24-25 August.
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NI’s Belsonic team launches Emerge Music Festival
The team behind Northern Ireland’s Belsonic concert series has unveiled the new two-day Emerge Music Festival.
The 20,000-cap electronic music-focused event will be held at Boucher Road Playing Fields, Belfast from 27-28 August with headliners Eric Prydz, Disclosure, Peggy Gou and Patrick Topping.
The first year will see more than 40 acts across three stages, including the likes of Kettama, Mall Grab, Michael Bibi, DJ Seinfeld, Dusky, Special Request, FJAKK and Rebekah.
“The electronic music scene is one that has grown steadily in Belfast over the 30-odd years that I’ve been promoting in the city”
“The electronic music scene is one that has grown steadily in Belfast over the 30-odd years that I’ve been promoting in the city with my Shine brand, and it’s grown exponentially over the last few years,” says co-promoter Alan Simms of Shine Productions. “Belfast is one of the most fertile and dynamic scenes of its kind in the UK or Ireland. We’ve promoted many large scale outdoor electronic events in recent years but always wanted to do a huge multistage event of this kind.
“Feedback from our audience suggested that a huge appetite exists for a unique production of this kind in Northern Ireland. We’re lucky to have some of the world’s biggest names in dance music on our inaugural line-up of Emerge Music Festival, most of whom we’ve been working with since their very first club shows in the country.”
Day tickets are priced from £55 (€66), with weekend tickets available from £95 (€114).
The 15,000-cap Belsonic returns to Belfast’s Ormeau Park from 13-26 June with headline acts such as Iron Maiden, Gerry Cinnamon, Calvin Harris, Liam Gallagher and Lewis Capaldi.
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