News
Thanks for coming!
Thank you one and all who turned out in record numbers for this year’s Vantastival!
Beaulieu House and Gardens and the weather gods conspired once again this June bank holiday weekend to provide the perfect setting for us, and the sun shone all weekend right up until Sunday night while we danced and sang and ate and played on the banks of the River Boyne. This was the biggest and many would say the best Vantastival yet! We’d like to thank all of you lovely people who came along to this year’s festival, to all our crew and everyone who contributed to making the festival what it is, and most of all to all the musicians who played over the weekend – the standard of music was unbelievable this year.
You can check out some of the photos from this year’s festival on our Facebook page now and we will be adding many more and putting up a 2017 Gallery on the website over the next few weeks, with some videos to come too!
It’s Festival Time!
Vantastival opens it’s gates on Saturday morning 3rd June for the eighth annual festival! We’re looking forward to an excellent weekend of music and craic!
If you are planning to come, please read the following info carefully:
There is no access to the site on Friday.
The festival arena and campsite open at 10.30am on Saturday and the box office operates from 10.30am – 11.00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Entry to the site is not permitted after 11pm.
Tickets are no longer available online. Tickets will be available at the gate, subject to availability.
THERE ARE NO CREDIT CARD FACILITIES ON SITE SO PAYMENTS AT THE BOX OFFICE AND ALL VENDORS MUST BE MADE IN CASH. There is also no ATM on site, so bring as much cash as you think you’ll need for the weekend.
Our beautiful venue Beaulieu House is home to green lawns, shady woodlands and blossoming gardens and we want to keep it that way. Vantastival has always followed a Green Policy, so please use the bins onsite, leave no rubbish behind and take all your camping gear home with you. You can read more about our policy here.
Vantastival is a BYOB event. There will also be a bar on site where you can get refreshing pints of craft beer from Jack Cody’s Brewery, cider or a range of spirits and cocktails. No glass bottles are allowed on site. ID will be required at the bar from anyone who looks under the age of 21. The only acceptable forms of ID are passport, driving license, Garda Card or EU National Identity Card.
BBQs are permitted but must be up off the ground. No disposable barbecues sitting on the grass.
Only cars staying on site can drive into the car park. This year there is a small charge for the car park imposed by Beaulieu House, to go towards the upkeep of the estate and gardens. The charge is €3 for a day or €5 for the weekend.
No cars will be permitted to drive into the campsite to unload, with the sole exception of those pulling caravans.
Beaulieu House is just a 5 minute drive from Drogheda, or 10 minutes from Drogheda Bus Station. Elite Cabs in Drogheda are doing a special rate for taxis to and from Drogheda over the weekend.
Elite Cabs 041 98 333 98
The rate is €4 a head for a minimum of 2 to/from Drogheda town centre or bus station and €5 a head for a minimum of 2 to/from Drogheda train station.
Be sure to quote Vantastival when you book!
And finally HAVE A BRILLIANT WEEKEND AT VANTASTIVAL!!!!
Nearly There!
In just a few days we will open the gates to Beaulieu House and welcome you all to join us for the eighth installment of Vantastival!
We’ll be up and ready for you on Saturday morning, with our Box Office kicking things off at 10.30am. There will be no access to the site on Friday so please don’t arrive a day early, as you will be turned away.
We’re teaming up with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles again this year and have a whole host of new and exciting features for you to enjoy over the weekend. We have two brand new stages – the Glasshouse and Backwards late night area – both jam packed with musicians and DJs to keep you going until the wee hours. Along with all your old favourites and a riveting line up, we think this is going to be our best year yet!
Don’t forget the Volkswagen Campervan Cook-off! Our favourite cooking competition is back and will take place at 4pm on Saturday near the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Centre in the Main Arena. This is a hotly contested competition with a trophy and VW goody bags up for grabs. This year’s cook off will be MC’d by Today FM DJ Phil Cawley!
Make sure you also visit the Firestone Music Station for some brilliant music from up-and-coming local bands, and a nice chill out area to relax in that sunshine!
Nix Moon win Firestone Battle of the Bands!
Nix Moon have taken the top prize in our Firestone Battle of the Bands competition! The Dundalk five-piece beat four other acts in Odd Mollies with a rousing set, which has earned them the headline slot on the Firestone Music Station stage at Vantastival as well as an €1,800 voucher for Musicmaker and three days residential recording time at the renowned Grouse Lodge Studios in Co. Westmeath.
Nix Moon are a progressive folk act that dabble with multiple genres, combining complex rhythms, a range of harmonies and genuine lyrics, and draw their influence from rock, jazz, folk and indigenous music. They have featured at Irish festivals including Electric Picnic, Knockanstockan and Vantastival over the last three years, while regularly selling out their local venue – IMRO’s 2016 best venue in Leinster, the Spirit Store. Their debut ep, ‘Soul Traffic’, was released last summer and the band won ‘best performers’ at the Busker Fleadh in Dublin in September. You can catch them at Vantastival on Sunday 4th June headlining the Firestone stage at 11.15pm!
