sensation.irish AVA Festival Belfast: electronic music on the Titanic Slipways
AVA, short for Audio Visual Arts, is a festival of electronic music and visual art in Belfast, created by the promoters UP! Productions: two days in the open air on the Titanic Slipways in the Titanic Quarter, at the end of May. AVA has also held editions in London.
AVA Belfast 2027
The 2027 dates have not been announced; the festival's Belfast page says the next edition is coming soon and takes sign-ups for news. The 2026 edition, the 12th, was on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May 2026.
The 2026 line-up
The organiser's 2026 line-up included Kettama, Honey Dijon, Blawan (live), Chloé Caillet, Calibre, Annie Mac, Interplanetary Criminal, Octo Octa B2B Eris Drew, DJ Gigola, MPH, Effy, Evian Christ and Or:la. It is last year's bill, given for the shape of the festival rather than as a promise for 2027.
Tickets
AVA sells its tickets on Resident Advisor, where PayPal's Pay Later can spread the cost. Student tickets are sold only through FIXR, and there have been resident tickets for people living in the Docklands around the site. Prices are in pounds sterling.
Age and ID
AVA is strictly 18+, and only three kinds of photo ID are accepted at the gate: a photo driving licence, a valid passport or a Yoti CitizenCard. A bank card, a student card or a photo of an ID on a phone is not on that list. The hospitality area is 21+.
Getting to the Titanic Slipways
There is no car park for festival-goers. The organiser asks everyone to arrive on foot, by taxi, or by train or bus from the city centre, and there is an official taxi drop-off point. Translink's trains stop at Titanic Quarter station, and the slipways are within walking distance of the city centre.
On the day
In 2026 the site was open from 1pm to 11pm, with last entry at 7pm and no re-entry. It is cashless, and bags are limited to A4 size. There is no camping: each day is a day out in the city, and the night ends with the walk or the taxi home.
Belfast's other big open-air dance weekend is Emerge, at the end of August. In 2026 AVA shared its weekend with Forbidden Fruit in Dublin.
AVA Festival Belfast: electronic music on the Titanic Slipways: questions
What ID do you need for AVA Festival?
Photo ID, and only three kinds: a photo driving licence, a valid passport or a Yoti CitizenCard. The festival is strictly 18+, and the hospitality area is 21+.
Where are AVA Belfast tickets sold?
On Resident Advisor, with student tickets sold only through FIXR. Prices are in pounds sterling.
Is there parking at AVA Festival?
No. There is no customer car park at the Titanic Slipways; the organiser asks people to come on foot, by taxi or by train or bus, and there is an official taxi drop-off point.
Source: AVA Festival: Belfast FAQ, 2026 line-up and story pages (avafestival.com) checked against the source
More dance music festivals in Ireland
Emerge Music Festival: Belfast's open-air dance weekend
Emerge: two days of open-air dance music in Belfast at the end of August, among the dance music festivals Ireland hosts. Dates, line-up, tickets, Translink.
Forbidden Fruit: Dublin's June festival at Kilmainham
Forbidden Fruit, the June bank holiday weekend at Kilmainham, Dublin, among the dance music festivals Ireland hosts: over-18s, Ticketmaster, near Heuston.
District X: a one-day festival at Palmerstown House
District X: a one-day September festival at Palmerstown House, Co. Kildare, among the dance music festivals Ireland hosts. Over-18s, festival buses.