Vantastival will host the launch of the 2013 festival at the Dublin Men’s Shed beside Croke Park on Saturday March 9. Five bands confirmed for this year’s festival line up will perform on the night including bluegrass fusion favourites, The Cujo Family, topping the bill.

Also featuring are rising Donegal rockers Mojo Gogo, experimental trad outfit Wicker Bones, avant garde Dublin alt-rockers Color//Sound and, from the Wicklow Mountains, funk rock ensemble The Boo Box.

In keeping with the usual Vantastival style, the industrial venue will be transformed for the launch into a mini indoor festival experience, complete with tents, campervans and of course the compulsory portable toilets.

Just like the festival itself, the launch party will be a BYOB event and the €7 entry fee will entitle you to a free beer. Doors open at 7.30pm with music starting at 8pm and going until 2am.

The venue, in Westward House off Russell Street, has recently been acquired by the Dublin Men’s Shed, a member of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association, an organisation set up to provide safe, friendly and inclusive environments where men can gather and work together on a variety of meaningful projects. A portion of the entry free will go to supporting the Dublin Men’s Shed.

Damien Dempsey will headline the fourth annual Vantastival and the full festival line up will be unveiled at the launch party. Earlybird tickets for the festival are no longer for sale online but a very limited number will be available on the night.

Vantastival takes place at the beautiful Bellurgan Park, just north of Dundalk, exactly halfway between Dublin and Belfast. The festival runs from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5 2013.