Each year Galway International Arts Festival and Róisín Dubh join forces to bring to Galway some of the most exciting music acts to play at the iconic Heineken Big Top.
The Big Top is a much-loved part of the Galway International Arts Festival experience. Nestled beside the banks of the River Corrib, in an easy-to-reach city centre location, it is a hub of the festival each year.
Attendees each have their own special memories of their favourite artist to play there as a myriad of Irish and International artists have graced the stage each year. Galway takes on a particular energy and excitement during the Galway International Arts Festival, and the music line-up is an integral part of that magic.
The first artists to take to the Heineken Big Top this July will be one of the most exciting live acts of the moment - Amble on July 16.
Amble is Robbie Cunningham, Oisín McCaffrey, and Ross McNerney, a three-piece folk group whose ability to blend introspective lyrics with lush, atmospheric soundscapes has won them a devoted fanbase worldwide. Their captivating blend of musical storytelling and powerful live sound has won fans across continents. Galway can expect to hear new material alongside the band’s beloved tracks.
Next up are pop icons Sophie Ellis-Bextor with very special guest Natasha Bedingfield on July 17.
With an impressive musical career that spans over 25-years, Ellis-Bextor has achieved five Top 10 albums and eight Top 10 singles. Hits have included the iconic 'Murder on the Dancefloor', 'Take Me Home', 'Get Over You', 'Heartbreak' (Make Me a Dancer ), and many more.
Her recent single, the disco-pop anthem, 'Freedom of the Night' sees Sophie enter a new era with a confident return to her iconic and esteemed disco-pop sound. She recently released her 7th studio album HANA, her 5th Top 10 record. Following her much-loved Kitchen Disco parties shared on Instagram, Sophie released two albums, Songs from the Kitchen Disco and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco: Live from the London Palladium.
Natasha Bedingfield is responsible for some memorable pop anthems, including 'Unwritten' and 'Pocket Full of Sunshine'. 'Unwritten' featured on Bedingfield's debut album of the same name, which reached Number One in the British charts following its release in 2004.
Her album also included hits 'Single', 'Wild Horses', 'I Bruise Easily', and the No. 1 single 'These Words'. She has sold over 10 million albums and earned multiple award nominations including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year at the 49th Grammy Awards. Bedingfield’s recent performances have had audiences spellbound under her charm and musical prowess.
With their punked-up versions of traditional Irish songs wowing audiences in Ireland, Australia, the US and Britain, The Mary Wallopers became a word-of-mouth live phenomenon. This culminated with the band performing to their biggest audience in 2024 at Glastonbury’s revered Park Stage. They play on July 19. The Mary Wallopers were formed by brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy and their friend Sean McKenna. They began traveling the length and breadth of Ireland singing and collecting songs before expanding to a blistering 6-piece that has torn up the live circuit over the past three years.
Known for their electrifying live shows, Picture This performed to over 60,000 fans across sold-out shows in Dublin, Belfast and Cork in 2024.
The Mary Wallopers photo credit Sorcha Frances Ryder
Their latest album, Parked Car Conversations, soared to Number 2 on the Irish Album Charts while also enjoying success in Germany and Britain. They will play two dates at the Heineken Big Top: July 21 and 22.
Almost a decade after the success of their debut release, Picture This, members Ryan Hennessy, Jimmy Rainsford, Owen Cardiff and Cliff Deane have amassed over 450 million streams. In 2018, they became the first band to sell out a whopping five nights at Dublin’s 3Arena. Expect an energetic and explosive live show in Galway.
Kingfishr has quickly become one of the most exciting acts in Irish music. Fusing Irish folk with modern influences, their atmospheric sound and catchy melodies have captured a wide audience. The band will play on July 20.
Kingfishr has gained significant attention through social media and streaming platforms where they’ve racked up over 70 million streams and 800,000 monthly listeners. Recent accolades include winning the Music Moves Europe Award and a nomination for Irish Breakthrough Artist at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Awards. Their album, Kingfishr Live from Dublin, soared to No. 5 on the Irish Charts and No. 7 on the UK Folk Albums Chart.
Mary Coughlan will mark 40 years at the heart of Irish music with a spectacular one-night-only Greatest Hits show at the Heineken Big Top on July 23. Often hailed as Ireland’s Billie Holiday, Coughlan’s unmistakable voice and raw, emotional storytelling have made her a legend — and nowhere more so than in her native Galway, where her journey began. Joined by her full band, enhanced with a sweeping string and brass section, Mary will reimagine four decades of her most powerful songs.
Kingfishr will take to the stage on July 20.
July 25 will be an explosive night as three powerhouses of the electronic music scene Interplanetary Criminal, Shampain and Tommy Holohan take to the stage of the Heineken Big Top.
Manchester’s Interplanetary Criminal, Zach Bruce, , co-founder of ATW Records, is a leading force in England's garage scene, known for fusing 2-step, speed garage, and breakbeats into high-energy sets. Dublin’s Tommy Holohan has carved out his place in the European techno scene with blistering releases and Boiler Room sets, blending local intensity with thumping European rhythms. Completing the line-up is Galway’s own Shampain, co-founder of G-Town Records with Kettama. The boundary-pushing DJ, producer, and broadcaster, is shaping the future of Irish electronic music.
Together, these three will deliver a night of pulsating rhythms, genre-blurring sounds, and serious party energy.
Mogwai, formed in 1995 in Glasgow, consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals ), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals ), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar ) and Martin Bulloch (drums ). Since 1997, the band has released ten studio albums, with their most recent, As The Love Continues, being a commercial and critical success, reaching number 1 on the Official UK Album Charts, winning a Mercury Prize nomination and winning the Scottish Album of the Year award. The band have also contributed to projects with Amazon Prime and Apple TV. Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound, a first documentary about the band released last year was directed by longtime collaborator Antony Crook. Mogwai play on July 27.
Known for their infectious energy, unforgettable melodies, and electric live performances, one of Ireland’s most beloved rock bands The Stunning will perform a special Galway homecoming concert on 26 July.
With a string of hits that became Irish anthems, including 'Brewing Up a Storm', 'Heads Are Gonna Roll', and 'Half Past Two' and a debut album Paradise in the Picturehouse that went straight to No.1 - remaining there for five weeks - the band always deliver live shows that combine a powerful stage presence with tight musicianship and raw, crowd-pleasing energy. Special guests for this show are another of Ireland’s much-loved bands, The Four of Us.
The Stunning
Dec Pierce’s Block Rockin’ Beats returns to the Heineken Big Top on July 18 following his memorable concert at last year’s festival.
Block Rockin Beats is a performance of the world’s biggest dance anthems, where rave meets rock, featuring a DJ set with a live band. Expect banging tunes such as 'No Good' (Start the dance ) alongside 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and the Beastie Boys’ 'Sabotage'. Block Rockin Beats in a raw, energetic, live performance version of Dec Pierce’s radio show of the same name on Today FM.
The 2025 season will come to an extraordinary conclusion on July 27, when renowned Norwegian superstar violinist Mari Samuelsen joins the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for what promises to be an unforgettable evening at the Heineken Big Top.
Known for her dynamic artistry and genre-blurring performances, Samuelsen will perform Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed – The Four Seasons, a bold reimagining of Vivaldi’s classic that has captivated audiences worldwide. Richter’s work is both familiar and strikingly new, brought vividly to life through Samuelsen’s expressive interpretation combined with the lush sound of the orchestra.
