Ireland’s longest running electronic music festival is to end after 25 years as the organisers of Celtronic in Derry say the time has come to “go out on a high”.
The annual festival will take place for the final time between April 17-20 at various venues across the city, with a line-up including Belfast producer and DJ, David Holmes, and English techno icon Dave Clarke.
The festival was first held in 2001, and over the years has seen performances from artists such as the co-founder of Chic, Nile Rodgers, and even the Ulster Orchestra.
Along with gigs and DJ sets, it regularly featured music workshops and recording projects.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, a spokesperson for Celtronic said it was initially founded with the idea to hold a festival “that would not be driven by money or profit, but by a passion for celebrating dance music culture, our city, and the energy of our young people”.
“Twenty-five years later, the ethos of Celtronic remains the same,” they said.
“Celtronic is now the longest running electronic music festival in Ireland. We have welcomed our musical heroes and the biggest, most relevant electronic music artists from across the globe to share stages in almost every venue in Derry with the best local and national artists, attracting thousands of music fans from across Ireland and beyond.”
They said the festival would not have bene possible “without our supporters, crew, friends and the generations of dancers who have continued to share dancefloors with us every year”.
“Looking back, it’s hard to believe we have all been on this incredible journey for so long. There have been many moments over the years where the idea of ‘let’s make this the last Celtronic’ has been discussed,” they added.
“But we always knew there was more to do, more artists to attract, more parties to throw. While there is no doubt the festival could continue to thrive for many more years, the 25th anniversary milestone feels like the perfect time to bring this chapter of Celtronic to a close, to go out on a high and finish the festival on our terms.”
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