Armagh’s ERA dance music festival could be set to return for 2026 – with not one but FOUR days of wall-to-wall classics at the Shambles Yard.
Thousands converged on the famous market site for a hot summer night’s entertainment in August.
Glow-sticks to the ready, revellers danced the night away to top tunes from Chris Agnelli, from Agnelli and Nelson, Italian house music group Living Joy, Belfast-based production master and DJ Yomanda, former residence DJs at Lush! nightclub Midknight Thieves and Northern Ireland’s “voice of dance and radio” Neal McClelland.
It was a runaway success and the feedback thrilled organisers.
Indeed, it was so well-received that ERA Events have decided they want to do it all again.
But instead of a single day festival, they hope to stage two spectacular weekend events. And instead of starting at 6pm, it is the intention to make the event longer, with an earlier 4pm kick-off.
These would take place on the Bank Holiday weekends in May and August.
They will, that is, if the request is approved by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council when it considers applications for venue hire tonight (Monday).
The event was given the go-ahead last year despite objections from residents of Edward Street.
And council officers, in their recommendation, are urging councillors to accept the plans for 2026.
The ERA festival in August was promoted as a night to “reignite the energy of those memorable nights out” and it did not fail to deliver on that promise.
It was following the failed UK City of Culture bid for ABC in 2022/23 that an external company was appointed to undertake a review of outdoor venues across the borough to “ascertain their suitability for staging outdoor musical events”.
The Shambles Yard emerged as the “most suitable in the borough” to stage these types of events over Lurgan Park, the Palace Demesne, People’s Park in Portadown and Solitude Park in Banbridge.
As two separate applications have now been made for May and August, a report to tonight’s meeting of council, reflecting on 2025, states: “Multiple council departments worked with ERA to ensure the event went positively, and that all health and safety procedures and regulations were adhered to. The end result was 3,500 people attending with widespread positivity for the event, from those attending, surrounding businesses and council’s environmental health department.”
It highlights that organisers met all licence conditions in relation to noise levels, curfew times and alcohol sales cut-off, with the venue cleared by the agreed 10pm.
There were “no complaints received regarding noise levels”, with officers noting “the stage set up and prompt end time positively contributed to this”.
There were “no traffic or parking issues raised by residents” and feedback from PSNI and emergency services was “very positive”.
Local businesses and community representatives were also “very positive, with multiple businesses gaining increased footfall and sales as a result of the event”.
With such a thumbs-up response to 2025, this year’s application is for two separate two-day music festivals.
The first is for Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3, the second on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30.
If successful, the events would run from 4pm to 10pm on each Saturday, and 4pm to 9pm on the Sundays.
No acts or names have been mentioned at this stage, but if approval is given more details will emerge closer to the time as plans are finalised.
According to the applications for hire of the Shambles Yard, the intention is to stage four days of “open air music”, aimed at those in the 30+ age group, with “various artists covering the 90s/00s era of dance music and Country/traditional music”.
Organisers expect crowds of between 2,000 and 3,500 on each of the four days.
It is planned that the events will be licensed and will include food vendors with a “focus on local Food Heartland providers”.
The report to committee adds: “The project promoter aim for the event is ultimately commercially focussed. They continue to engage with a number of businesses in the Shambles area and across the city and the promoter is an active member of City Centre Management and keen to see that the event has a wider economic impact across Armagh City, as it was shown to have at the 2025.
“Food Heartland providers have been engaged to provide the outside food offering at the event.
“The event received widespread positivity in 2025 from businesses and from those attending. The organisers hope to expand on this success and deliver more local economic growth opportunities for Armagh city centre businesses.
“The project promoter will send letters to local residents, particularly Edward Street, to fully inform them of the details of the event. ERA will also host a consultation with residents in the Shambles Yard prior to the event to listen to any concerns they may have and attempt to accommodate them as they did in 2025.
“Consultations will take place with both churches in the area, as was the case in 2025. Event organisers will write to religious/community groups which may be affected and continue to meet with them to find resolutions to any potential issues.”
A licensed security company will provide the security service.
And according to the report to council tonight – when a decision is expected – it would be a win-win for everyone.
“The four days the event will be held has the potential to bring a lot of visitors to Armagh City and have a wider economic impact on Armagh City,” the officers add.
