Alan Simms of Emerge as final preparations take place at Ireland’s biggest Electronic Music Festival

Following the success of Emerge in Belfast last year, organisers are ready to offer a “bigger and better” festival to music fans this August bank holiday weekend.

Speaking during a media preview event attended by this newspaper, co-promoter and director Alan Simms said there has been “a lot of learning” after 2022’s debut event.

“Last year was a great success, for the first year it went fantastically well,” he explained.

“We have made everything bigger this year – the capacity, the stage is about twice the size of the main one last year, and there’s a lot more light and video.

“Everything is just bigger and better, we have more DJs in the line-up and have sold a lot more tickets.”

Preparations underway for Emerge 2023

Emerge will be held in the Boucher Road Playing Fields on August 26 and 27, from 3-11pm.

Mr Simms and his team are expecting a bumper crowd of 40,000 and hopes all the hard work will pay off, ensuring they provide audiences with a true dance festival experience.

He added: “We have spent months planning, we have some really interesting stuff going on in the Shine tent with the super-structure we are putting in, so I’m really excited to see it work.”

Over 40 acts will perform across four stages, including Northern Ireland’s own Bicep.

Final preparations take place at Ireland’s biggest Electronic Music Festival. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

For the organisers, Emerge represents something different to other music events here.

“This is purely a celebration of electronic music, it’s unique. It’s multi-staged, so we have four different areas of music.

"It’s electronic dance music all day, we have more acts and it’s over a weekend, it is more of an actual festival,” Mr Simms said.

“Bicep have been with us right from the start of their career and to bring them along to headline something like this feels really good.

“We were really happy they wanted to do that with us. It’s good that they are trusting us to give them a good show, because a home gig is very important for an act like that, particularly something of this size.”

Alan Simms of Emerge as final preparations take place at Ireland’s biggest Electronic Music Festival

Bicep will be joined by the likes of Carl Cox, Camelphat, Charlotte De Witte, Skin on Skin, and Rebuke.

Mr Simms is most excited to see Carl Cox perform on the Sunday.

“Carl Cox has been DJing for me since the mid-90s, I’ve been working with him for 25 years, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing him. I love the music he plays, he’s a great guy,” he added.

“There are still some tickets left for sale, but we are expecting to sell-out.”