Blues on the Bay Turns 27: The Point Gets Ready for Festival Week

Twenty-seven years young and still the best free show in Ireland — the International Guinness Blues on the Bay Festival returns to Warrenpoint from 20th to 26th May.

The formula hasn’t changed because it doesn’t need to: seven days of world-class blues, jazz, soul, roots and rock, with more than 70 free performances packed into the town’s pubs, park and streets. Add in the late-night jam sessions, acoustic sets, a guitar workshop for players of all levels, and plenty for the family, and there’s barely a quiet corner in town for the week.

What started in 2000 as a weekend of blues by the bay has grown into one of the most respected festivals of its kind anywhere — and it still doesn’t charge you in. If you’ve never done festival week in The Point, this is your year. Book a bed early; they go fast.

Full lineup and programme at bluesonthebay.co.uk. Photo: Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via geograph.org.uk.