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The Evolution of The Farmer’s Bash
What started as a celebration of country music has grown into a proper cultural event. This is the story of The Farmer's Bash, a rural Glastonbury with cowboy hats.
Let’s take a journey back in time. The year is 2016. Leicester City have just won the Premier League. The mannequin challenge is taking the world by storm. We’re all crying at the end of La La Land. And while most of us are trying to figure out why the singer from DNCE sounds so much like Joe Jonas, there is a growing enthusiasm for country music in Northern Ireland. A whole new audience are seeing their favourite performers, singing their favourite songs and jiving the night away. Country music was here to stay and The Farmer’s Bash founder Nigel Campbell wanted to be a part of it.
The year is 2017. Thousands of country fans are donning their best plaid shirts and cowboy boots and are packing out The SSE Arena in Belfast for the inaugural Farmer’s Bash. Topping the bill are stars like Derek Ryan and Lisa McHugh. Marty Mone is reminding the crowd to ‘Hit The Diff’. The event wasn’t just a success, it had gone viral. The Bash took a beach holiday in 2019, inviting attendees to the coast at Portrush. Over 10,000 paired their speedos with cowboy hats (not really… I hope) and flocked down, showing the level of demand for a large-scale event of this nature.
A bit of jiving never hurt anybody
The year is 2022. Undeterred by the new restrictions, The Farmer’s Bash continued throughout lockdown. The format had changed however, from large dancefloors full of jiving to something a bit more socially distant. The Bash staged the biggest drive-in concert ever held in UK/Ireland, with over 1,500 cars, creating an atmosphere that would make you forget anything had changed. With the easing of restrictions, it was time for The Farmer’s Bash to return home to The SSE Arena. However there was a desire and a curiosity to see what this event truly had to offer.
The year is 2024. Over 20,000 country fans are decending on Ormeau Park to attend the largest Farmer’s Bash yet. The lineup now boasts groups like The Whistlin’ Donkeys and The Tumbling Paddies. Fans flocked from all corners of the island for this non-stop country-fest. This was finally the landmark moment that firmly established the Bash as one of the biggest dates in the Irish live music calendar.
Did Armagh win something last year?
Yet still there was a feeling it could be more. The year is now 2025 and The Farmer’s Bash is back and bigger than ever. What was once a one night event is now a two day weekend extravaganza. Where there was once only one stage, there are now three, each boasting unique acts to see. Alongside country mainstays like Nathan Carter, The Tumbling Paddies and Derek Ryan on the lineup are acts that sell out arenas in their own right.
The Two Johnnies headline Saturday, fresh off their sell-out performances nationwide. If you’re a fan of a pint and you’re a fan of a field, Johnny B and Johnny Smacks have you covered. Sunday’s forecast has predictions of a riot. Not quite, but Kaiser Chiefs do headline the night, following up Irish rock stalwarts The Coronas. The weekend also features further performances from some classics of Irish music including Boyzlife, B*Witched and Mark McCabe.
The size of the new venue, Boucher Road Playing Fields, allows for the event to become so much more than a one-stage performance. The new ‘Hay Shed’ welcomes fan-favourite events like Bingo Loco, The 30+ Club and Shrek Rave. Attendees can also witness and take part in a host of activities. How many other events can offer this kind of off-the-wall fun?
Fancy yourself the World’s Strongest Farmer? Test your strength with hay bale tosses, tractor pulls and a few surprises. Become a line-dancing pro at one of their fully interactive workshops. Your friends will think you’re really cool, I promise. Jump into some shameless fun with the Husband Calling and Piano Smashing competitions. Both are very loud, only one involves sledgehammers. Cool off from that excitement with a stroll in The Country Village to grab a bite before gearing yourself back up for the Sheep Shearing Disco. It’s exactly what it sounds like and yes, it is mad. But that doesn’t mean it’s not brilliant!
The Farmer’s Bash will be held on Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 August at Boucher Road Playing Fields, Belfast. If you’re up for the craic, you can find tickets HERE.
