Well, the eighth annual Glasgowbury Music Festival is almost upon us (Saturday 26th July for those sleeping at the back!). I know it sounds like a well-worn cliché, but it really is shaping up to be the most successful year in its relatively short history with close to 50 acts, showcasing a diverse selection of home-grown talent.

This time around the festival is headlined by none other than ASH, hailing from Downpatrick, and Northern Ireland’s biggest selling band of all time. To accommodate the growing number of acts, the festival has spawned an extra stage this year – bringing the total to four. They are:

• ‘Small But Massive’ Main Stage
• ‘Spurs of Rock’ Stage
• ‘G Session’ Stage **NEW**
• ‘Eagles Rock’ Acoustic Stage

Whilst the highlight for many will undoubtedly be the music festival, its worth pointing out that there are one or two other things going on throughout the weekend before and after the festival. On Friday 25th July (Glasgowbury Eve) the spiritual home of the G Sessions, the Cellar Bar, will host a live broadcast from Radio Ulster’s Alan Simpson from 3pm – 5pm, followed by Late Show with Stuart Bailie from 10.03pm (precisely) until 11.55pm – we’ll be watching to see what he does with those other 8 minutes. If you aren’t able to make it to the Cellar Bar, or have already pitched your tent at base camp, Eagles Rock, then remember to tune your radio dials to Radio Ulster (92-95fm), and crank up the volume. Both Alan and Stuarts show will feature music and chit-chat from those taking part in the festival. There will be free pints of Carling from 8pm – 9pm (we kid you not!)

Finally, to round things off, if you’re still in a fit state to crawl back to Draperstown on Sunday afternoon, you can nip in to the Cellar Bar which hosts the Aftermath – a sort of festival wind-down, and a chance for a bit of lively banter with your mates to discuss the festival vibes from the night before. Entry is reserved for people with festival wristbands – so don’t loose them alright!

As usual, we’ll be trying our best to get a few photos throughout the day, so feel free to say hello!

Oh – we should also point out that tickets for the event are still available – you can snap them up here. Deadly!