Get the leg warmers out, place your hair in a side pony and break out the bumbags - the Forever Young festival is rolling into town this weekend.
It takes place at Palmerstown House in Co. Kildare from July 15th - 17th and will see some of the biggest pop and rock acts of the eighties playing - as well as a second stage that will host tributes to acts like Queen, George Michael, U2 and Kate Bush.
If you're heading along, here's what you need to know.
WHO'S PLAYING?
On the line-up for 2022 are the following acts: Marti Pellow (Wet Wet Wet), Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), OMD, Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Bananarama, Paul Young, Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics), Nik Kershaw, Nick Heyward, The Christians, Johnny Hates Jazz, Wendy James, Tiffany, Limahl, Bad Manners, The Undertones, 5 Star, The Blow Monkeys, Chesney Hawkes, T'Pau, Heather Small, Hue & Cry, Then Jericho, Brother Beyond, The Adventures, In Tua Nua, Brian Downey's Alive & Dangerous and Real Thing.
There will also be tributes to Queen, Kate Bush, U2, UB40 as well as 'Rockstar Karaoke' and 'The '80s Generation' on the 'Great Pretender' stage.
CAN I STILL BUY TICKETS?
Yes, tickets are still available. Weekend tickets with camping are €225 incl. fees; 2-day (Sat & Sun) tickets with no camping are €195; 2.5-day tickets (Fri evening plus Sat & Sun) are €215; Fri evening only is €49; Saturday or Sunday tickets are €125 each. VIP and 'lux' camping is also available.
If you don't feel like slumming it in a tent, there are also hotel and festival packages available - see the website for details.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
It's on in Palmerstown House in Co. Kildare; the closest town is Naas, which is a 10-minute drive away. The nearest train station is Naas.
Shuttles will run from Naas Post Office to the festival site - you can book these in advance here.
There are also buses running from Custom House Quay in Dublin - book them here.
There are also bus links from Cork, Galway, Wexford and Limerick, with combined coach and festival packages available - see here.
In terms of getting home, all local taxi firms will only run a service from Naas town centre - therefore you need to book the Naas bus from the festival to reach the taxi rank in Naas. There will be a limited number of taxis available to pre-book via FreeNow which can collect from the on-site collection point.
If you are coming by car/campervan/caravan, you will enter Forever Young next to Goffs - not the main entrance to Palmerstown House Estate.
You can only be DROPPED at the drop off point (no waiting) and COLLECTED at the collection point OR or get a bus connection into NAAS for a taxi. The Gardai will not allow pedestrians to leave on foot.
IS THERE CAR PARKING?
Yes, but you must book spaces in advance here. Parking is €8 for non-campers per day; €15 for non-campers for Saturday and Sunday, and if you're camping, it's €12 from Fri-Mon. Print your parking ticket in colour to display on your car on the day.
WHAT TIME DO GATES OPEN?
On Friday, gates open for campers at 12pm. The arena opens at 5pm, with acts playing from 6.30pm - 11pm (main stage) and until midnight (stage 2).
On Saturday and Sunday, parking opens at 9am. The arena opens at 12pm, with acts from 2pm - 11pm (main stage) and midnight (stage 2).
A silent disco runs til 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.
WHAT'S THE DAY-BY-DAY BREAKDOWN?
Friday
The Main Stage: MARTI PELLOW / PAUL CARRACK / THE ADVENTURES
The Great Pretender Stage: GEORGE MICHAEL TRIBUTE + THE '80S GENERATION
Saturday
The Main Stage: HOLLY JOHNSON / NIK KERSHAW / T’PAU / HUE & CRY / THE CHRISTIANS / 5 STAR / WENDY JAMES / JOHNNY HATES JAZZ/ LIMAHL/ THEN JERICO /UNDERTONES / IN TUA NUA
The Great Pretender Stage: QWEEN: IT’S A KINDA QUEEN / GEORGE MICHAEL TRIBUTE / THE JOSHUA TREE U2 TRIBUTE / ROCKSTAR KARAOKE
Sunday
The Main Stage: OMD / BANANARAMA / TONY HADLEY/ PAUL YOUNG / NICK HEYWARD/ HEATHER SMALL / CHESNEY HAWKES/ TIFFANY/ THE REAL THING / BAD MANNERS/ BLOW MONKEYS/ BRIAN DOWNEY ALIVE AND DANGEROUS / BROTHER BEYOND
The Great Pretender Stage: CLOUDBUSTING: KATE BUSH EXPERIENCE / QWEEN: IT’S A KINDA QUEEN / PROMISES AND LIES: UB40 TRIBUTE / ROCKSTAR KARAOKE
+ THE SILENT DISCO UNTIL LATE!
WHAT ABOUT STAGE TIMES?
Stage times are not being released in advance, unfortunately!
WHAT'S THE WEATHER GOING TO BE LIKE?
According to Yr.no, it's looking like pretty perfect festival weather!
Friday will be mostly sunny with some clouds, with temps of 18-22c throughout the day.
Saturday and Sunday will be very similar, with temps rising to 25c.
It's not often we say this in advance of an Irish festival, but... pack the suncream!
WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW?
There is a Londis shop on site with essentials and camping chairs, and a range of food and drink options. Buggies will be available to give lifts around site for a minimum donation of €10.
Food and Alcohol is NOT ALLOWED into the festival arena. You may bring food and drink into the campsite, but NO GLASS or SINGLE USE PLASTICS are allowed.
Its important to note that no seating is provided; there is a dancing/standing area in front of the stage, and everywhere else in the field is for you and your friends to set up your area for the day with picnic blankets, camping chairs, etc.
If you have a ticket for the cancelled events in 2020 or 2021, new tickets have been issued. If you have not received your re-issued tickets for 2022 please check your spam and junk files on your email for Forever Young Festival and CM.com. If you don’t find them please email [email protected]
