AVA Belfast and Live At The Piece Hall Break Box Office Records

AVA Festival

AVA Festival returned bigger than ever to the iconic Titanic Slipways in Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 29–30 for its 12th edition, cementing its place as one of the UK and Europe’s most vital independent festivals dedicated to showcasing electronic & live music, visual arts and contemporary culture.

AVA 2026 delivered its most ambitious and diverse production to date, spanning five stages, with over 70% of the lineup showcasing artists from across the north & the south of Ireland and the UK, featuring standout festival sets from Kneecap, KETTAMA, Honey Dijon, Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew, and Pegassi.

Over 21,000 festivalgoers attended AVA Belfast 2026 across the two-day weekend at Titanic Slipways, making it the festival’s biggest year to date.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of one of Belfast’s most recognizable landmarks, AVA 2026 spread across five meticulously designed stages, each bringing a distinct sonic identity to the historic waterfront site.

The introduction of a new fifth stage, The Anywhere House, showcased local talent including Princess Glitoris, Hi-Kru x Divergence, Caolan Patrick and many more.

AVA also leveled up its an on-site restaurant, IBILE, serving up West African cuisine. Its talks and workshops program completed the offer.

Sarah McBriar, founder and creative director of AVA Festival, commented, “AVA 2026 symbolised a step up in the festival’s footprint. A celebration of creative talent, musical expression, visual arts, community and contemporary culture – AVA signifies an environment where all walks of life can be different together.”

See: AVA Festival Belfast Looks Back On 10th Anniversary

Live At The Piece Hall

Live at The Piece Hall (sponsored by TK Maxx) in Halifax, England, is technically a 42-night concert series rather than a festival, but it has smashed box office records nonetheless, with more than 200,000 tickets already sold for the upcoming season, which kicks off June 6 with Yorkshire indie legends Shed Seven playing a sell-out headline show in front of 6,000 fans.

The Piece Hall Trust and Cuffe and Taylor, co-promoters of the event, today confirmed 215,000 tickets had been sold for this summer’s shows to date – smashing the previous box office record, set in 2025, by more than 30,000 tickets.

Upcoming gigs include Hollywood Vampires, The Beach Boys, Royel Otis, Tom Jones, Garbage, Scissor Sisters, Turnstile, Paul Weller and CMAT.

Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL FRSA, CEO of The Piece Hall Trust, said: “We love being able to bring global superstars to Halifax, and it’s clear from sales the public loves it too. There’s something very special about watching a show in this beautiful venue and it’s no surprise we’re continuing to attract gig goers not just from the UK but right across the globe!

“But it’s not just about The Piece Hall, we’re incredibly proud of the positive impact the gigs have on the region. The Live at series has helped make Calderdale cool, fostered a renewed sense of civic pride in the town and the thousands of extra visitors bring a vital boost to local businesses.”

See: Cuffe And Taylor To Program The Piece Hall UK For The Next Five Years

Peter Taylor, co-founder of Cuffe and Taylor, said: “This summer is going to be the biggest and best ever at this incredibly special and unique venue.

“To sell more than 200,000 tickets for the first time – and achieve this ahead of the opening night – shows The Piece Hall is one of the most important and prestigious open air music venues not only in the UK, but Europe and beyond. Artists love playing here, their teams and fans love the venue, The Piece Hall truly is on the global music map.

“This year’s stellar line-up has something for everyone with many shows selling out in a matter of minutes. It’s going to be a real summer to remember, and we cannot wait to welcome thousands of gig goers here.”

A Grade I listed architectural and cultural wonder, The Piece Hall has been transformed into a contemporary cultural, heritage and live entertainment destination which has welcomed more than 19 million visitors through its historic gates since it re-opened to the public in 2017.

The venue has won an array of awards recently including ‘Inspirational Venue of The Year’ at the 2025 Northern Music Awards, the ‘Backstage Brilliance Award’ at the 2025 Live Awards and ‘Muddy Stilettoes Best Arts Culture & Theatre Award 2025’. The Piece Hall was also shortlisted for ‘Venue of the Year’ in the Music Week 2026 Awards.

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_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/06/03/uk-open-airs-ava-belfast-live-at-the-piece-hall-smash-box-office-records/)._