Derry’s Ebrington Square will now only host two of the five planned summer gigs this summer

Derry’s Ebrington Square will now only host two of the five planned summer gigs this summer.
Jika Jika Festival will go ahead later this month as Scottish DJ Ewan McVicar and 1970’s disco legends Sister Sledge headline the two-day event.
In August, T’Pau and Nik Kershaw will visit Derry for a Back to the 80s event.
But councillors were told on Tuesday that three further events that were supposed to be held this summer will now not go ahead.
 The issue was raised at Derry and Strabane District Council's  Business and Culture committee on Tuesday.
SDLP councillor Rory Farrell spoke of his disappointment at the news.
He said: “Everybody can agree we have a first-class venue in the heart of our city, and I have an issue with the current cap on events, which allows five large-scale events which require an entertainment licence to be held at Ebrington every year.
“We don’t have five events; we only have two events, which is deeply disappointing.”
This follows new arrangements set by the Derry and Strabane council in October 2023 following a threat of legal action by the recently opened Ebrington Hotel, which opened in July 2023.
The Executive Office (TEO) still owns the site situated on the Waterside end of the Peace Bridge, but the council manages the application for promoters hoping to hold events at the site.
The council confirmed promoters must provide written confirmation of acts at least six months in advance, with this being part of a two-step process.
Councillors were informed on Tuesday that one concert planned for this summer would not now proceed because the promoter could not confirm the act.
A report further said: “Another event scheduled for the end of July withdrew due to their own operational reasons, and the event at the beginning of August did not respond to any requests for further information.”
This news has been met with great concern as the venue, which opened to the public in 2012, has hosted world-class acts, such as Calvin Harris, Bruno Mars, and Rita Ora during Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2013 in conjunction with the city being the 2013 City of Culture.
Chair of the committee, Sinn Fein councillor Alex Duffy, spoke on the disappointing revelations about Ebrington this summer.
He said: "Personally, I think Ebrington has so much potential, and if we get it right, not only ourselves but our stakeholders and promoters.
“There could be some really good large-scale events happening in Ebrington, and it is obvious there is a hunger for that locally as well.”