Culture
18 Jan 23

Dermot Kennedy, Electric Picnic and more crowned winners at Ticketmaster Awards

Dermot Kennedy at Electric Picnic 2022. Copyright Liam Murphy/hotpress.com.

Joanne McNally, Paolo Nutini, Silverbacks and more were also crowned winners in other categories.

Dermot Kennedy has been voted the top Live Act of 2022 by fans in the Ticketmaster Awards 2023, while Electric Picnic was crowned Best Festival.

Over 25,000 people cast their votes for their favourite acts/events of last year, with Dublin hero Dermot Kennedy beating out Garth Brooks, Ed Sheeran, Westlife, Harry Styles, Elton John, Kendrick Lamar and Phoebe Bridgers in the Best Live Act category.

The results also saw Paolo Nutini win the award for Intimate Gig of the Year - defeating Mitski, Rina Sawayama, Pillow Queens, Pavement, CMAT and Arab Strap - while Riverdance was the most popular Theatre & Arts event.

Top of the Irish Rising Star category were Dublin post-punk quartet Silverbacks, who defeated Bobbi Arlo, NewDad, Kynsy, Aby Coulibaly and Sprints; while Joanne McNally was the favourite Comedy Event of the year. The hilarious talent was up against the Paddy Power Comedy Festival, Kevin Bridges, Sarah Millican, Ed Gamble and Kevin Hart.

The clash of Kerry v Dublin in the All-Ireland Football Semi-final was the top sports events in 2022 according to Ticketmaster users.

Ticketmaster Ireland MD, Keith English, said of the awards: “2022 was a fantastic year for live events in Ireland. There were phenomenal performances from some of the world’s biggest stars, as well as emerging local talent to keep an eye on, unforgettable sporting moments, and arts that made us laugh and cry. It is great to see how much this resonated with the public who voted in record numbers.”

"The past year saw plenty of live experiences to get excited about, from huge international tours and huge theatre productions, to unforgettable festivals, side-splitting comedy, triumphant sporting wins and some phenomenal new Irish talent."