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The popular Body and Soul Festival, which takes place in Ballinlough Castle in Meath, and fuses music with art and alternative culture, confirmed there will be no 2024 event with a view to “evolving further” in the longer term.
The Irish festival scene is thriving at the moment. Compared to ten years ago, while the events have evolved, there remains a similar number, with more sell outs and massive growth of the country’s biggest event, Electric Picnic. That said, long-term festival goers often still feel that former summer staple Oxegen has never really been replaced.
A difficulty facing events in recent years has been how difficult it is to book large acts, who often now prefer to undertake their own more profitable tours, as demonstrated by the incredible abundance of big outdoors shows in Dublin over the course of this summer. Despite the popularity of festivals, the days of line-ups crammed top to toe with mega chart headliners are behind us.
Body and Soul, of course, has never been that event. “When we started Body & Soul, it grew from a place of curiosity, of exploration, and a myriad of worldly influences,” the festival says. “After twenty years at the forefront of festival culture we couldn’t be more proud of all we’ve achieved and of the beautiful community we’ve created around us.”
“But we now find ourselves in a different time – the world has changed, and it’s time for us to evolve further. This means hitting pause on this year’s Body & Soul festival to give ourselves the space to dream and think bigger. What we know is that we’re on the cusp of something great, something bold and new, which we can’t wait to share with you all when it’s ready.”
