Tickets on sale for Omagh Festival

The Lovell Sisters

Tickets are now on sale for the Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Demand is extremely high following the announcement of the line-up for this year's event, and advance booking for evening concerts is essential. Almost 9,000 people attended last year’s festival.

This year (Friday 31 August to Sunday 2 September) the line–up includes American acts Steep Canyon Rangers (the current International Bluegrass Music Association Emerging Artists of the Year), the Lovell Sisters (the next Dixie Chicks?), and the Malpass Brothers. Former festival favourites Sunny Side from the Czech Republic and Red Wine from Italy will also make a welcome return. The festival's new website gives in-depth information on the three-day programme, biographies of all artists, and a Ticketmaster facility for booking evening concert tickets.

‘Bluegrass in the Park’ afternoon sessions will take place as usual on Saturday and Sunday afternoon between 1.00 and 6.00 p.m. This popular element of the festival has been extended in 2007 to include sessions on Friday afternoon between 2.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. Visitors can also engage with the artists through a series of workshops and lectures. At instrument workshops you can spend an hour in the company of master musicians and improve your playing skills in both the old-time and bluegrass traditions.

A standard weekend festival pass for the 2007 event costs £35, and a full festival weekend pass will be £42. Individual evening concert tickets can be bought at £18; a ticket for the Sunday ‘Spirit of Bluegrass’ Gospel Concert costs £10. General admission to the 'Bluegrass in the Park' afternoon sessions costs £7 for an adult (£5 concession). General tickets are available from the BLUEGRASS TICKET HOTLINE on +44 (0)28 8224 3292; for further details log on to the new festival website.