James Bay, Róisín O, Ham Sandwich, Cherym and more join Wild Roots line-up

The final line-up has just been revealed for the inaugural Wild Roots Music, Performing Arts and Adventure Festival in Sligo - with the likes of James Bay, Róisín O, Ham Sandwich, Cherym and more joining the bill.

The event will take place on the June Bank Holiday weekend (June 2-5th, 2022) and will be amongst the first Summer music festivals to take place in the wake of Ireland emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amongst the new acts announced today, the critically-acclaimed pop singer-songwriter James Bay has announced he will be joining festival headliners Razorlight, James Morrison, Booka Shade, Soda Blonde and Damien Dempsey to play on the idyllic lakeside shores of Lough Gill.

It will be the first time that the 'Let It Go' singer, who is due to release his third LP, has performed in Ireland in over 3 years. At the moment, there is still no projected release date, though the album is currently available to pre-save on Spotify and Apple Music. Revisit our 2015 chat with the Englishman here.

Other acts announced today include indie rockers Ham Sandwich, singer Róisín O and all-girl pop-rock outfit Cherym. Singer-songwriters Ben Cutler, RUE and the Enniskillen folk duo Laytha will also be playing as will psych-pop act Lemonade Shoelace. For those who like to dance, Greg Wilson, Richie Blacker and the legendary turntable DJs the Scratch Perverts will be joining the lineup of dance and electronic acts which includes Felix da Housecat, Mark Blair, Jenny Greene and PrYmary Colours.

With under three months to go until the Wild Roots show, festival organisers’ have revealed details of the new festival site and some of the unique experiences in store for festival attendees.

The Wild West Village will be Ireland’s largest-ever immersive art installation. described as “a sanctuary for misfits”. The life-size village was constructed over a 10-month period during the pandemic and will host interactive performances, talks and live music acts.

District 22 is the name of the festival’s dance arena, the post-apocalyptic amphitheatre has been constructed from discarded shipping containers and will host the festival’s electronic music acts late into the night.

The festival will be hosting Boat Parties throughout the weekend as well as opportunities for patrons to “learn how to fly” with the Flying Monkey Trapeze company. Kayaking, rock climbing and aerial yoga will take place throughout the weekend as well as guided walks through the enchanted woodland of Hazel Wood.

The “Little Roots” area on-site will be jam-packed with activities, performances and art installations for children of all ages to enjoy. Pop-up theatre shows, magic performances and walk-around performers will keep the family entertained all weekend. One the performance highlights will be a new show by the legendary Limerick-based aerial dance group Fidget Feet.

Titled “A handful of dreams” the piece is inspired by the W.B Yeats poem 'The Stolen Child'.

Speaking ahead of the event festival director Orla Buckley is inviting audiences to come and be inspired:

“We cannot wait to welcome you all to Lough Gill, Co. Sligo, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Wild Roots will be a major annual celebration of Irish culture. Musicians, artists and vast teams of creatives have been working behind the scenes for two years to create what will be a unique gathering. We encourage you to come and experience something truly inspiring.”

Final tickets on sale now: wildroots.ie/.