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All you need to know about Belsonic

Naomi Holland
BBC News NI
Reuters A young woman with long black hair. She is wearing white top with thin straps. It is covered in silver coloured discs. Reuters
Charli XCX will be bringing her brat summer movement to Belsonic on 18 June

More than 100,000 music lovers are expected to gather at Belfast's Ormeau Park in the next few weeks for Belsonic.

The annual outdoor music festival kicked off on Thursday night and runs until the end of the month.

The first headliners were Welsh band Stereophonics.

"Hopefully it doesn't rain. We'll be all right.... we've got our raincoats," lead singer Kelly Jones told BBC Radio Ulster's Vinny & Cate show.

Jones said a recent world tour proves they are not a band that relies on "being a phase" from the 1990s and that their music "is still appealing to new audiences".

"There are kids in the front row," he added.

Belsonic 2025 - what you need to know

Who is playing Belsonic 2025?

Snow Patrol, Alanis Morissette, Charli XCX, the DJ BLK and Justin Timberlake are among a host of other big names set to take to the stage this year.

Lush! Classical, featuring the Ulster Orchestra, are headlining on Saturday while Catfish and the Bottlemen are performing the following Saturday (15 June).

Justin Timberlake will perform on 26 June, supported by Jess Glynne.

For dance music fans, the Boiler Room will see Dutch DJ and producer Chris Stussy team up with KETTAMA, a DJ and producer from Galway, on 28 June.

Alanis Morissette will wrap up the festival on 30 June.

EPA Justin Timberlake is wearing a pair of large sunglasses. He holds a microphone up to his mouth and is singing into it. His hair is brown, curly and cut short. He has a beard. EPA
Justin Timberlake is being supported by Jess Glynne and Olivia Lunny

Festival director Alan Simms said when deciding on the acts they aim for "a broad range of music that appeals to as broad a range of people as possible".

He said personally he was looking forward to seeing Snow Patrol as they had been trying to get them for many years but for "diaries and for other reasons it hasn't panned out" in the past.

What time does Belsonic begin and end?

The gates at Ormeau Park will open at 18:00 BST and close at 21:45 BST.

Belsonic says the curfew is usually about 23:00 BST but times will be posted on social media on the day of the event.

Alanis Morissette is smiling directly at the camera. She has long brown hair with caramel highlights and is wearing a brown leather style jacket with a top underneath. She is standing in front of a BBC Radio 2 banner.
Alanis Morissette's gig on 30 June will be the final performance at Belsonic 2025

How do I get to Belsonic by public transport?

Translink says while there will be no special shuttle buses in Belfast for the gigs, scheduled Metro bus services connect with Ormeau Park.

If you are travelling from the north west, special Goldliner coach services are operating from and to Foyle Street Buscentre in Londonderry for all of the events, with the exception of the Madness concert.

There will also be additional rail services running throughout Belsonic.

Further information is available here.

Ormeau Park road closures

Ormeau Embankment is set to be closed from Ravenhill Road to Ormeau Road from 16:00 BST on the dates of the gigs.

It will remain closed for a period after each concert, so the public is asked to be aware of this if arranging a safe collection location.

Details about accessibility parking and facilities during Belsonic are available here.

Are there age restrictions for Belsonic gigs?

The Lush Classical, BLK and Boiler Room gigs are strictly over 16s only and Belsonic says valid ID will be required.

Under 16s can attend all the other performances, but will require a parent or guardian who is also a ticket holder to accompany them.

There are also some age restrictions on who can enter the front standing section.