ShivAVA is back for 2026 with the first line-up announcing a top selection of DJs and live acts. On 29-30 May 2026, Belfast’s most forward-facing festival returns to the Titanic Slipways for its 12th edition, unveiling a first wave of artists that reads less like a roll call and more like a snapshot of where club culture is right now, locally rooted, globally connected and unafraid to take risks.
Leading the charge is KNEECAP, an act who needs no introduction headlining on home turf. Few acts capture the contradictions and tensions of contemporary Irish culture quite like the Belfast trio, whose live shows blur the lines between rap, punk, protest and performance.
Alongside them is KETTAMA, a familiar presence at AVA, he returns to where he’s delivered some of the most defining, career-shaping sets of his journey so far, making his place on the 2026 line-up feel entirely at home.
AVA’s first announcement also stretches far beyond Ireland. ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, one of Tokyo’s most influential underground figures and Resident Advisor’s DJ of the Year, brings his high-velocity, groove-driven techno to Belfast, while Annie Mac returns as a cultural mainstay, still connecting dots between scenes, generations and sounds with the same curiosity that’s defined her career.
House music’s radical lineage is represented by Honey Dijon, whose influence reaches far beyond the booth, while Blawan (Live) adds a darker edge, bringing his industrial-leaning sound into a rare live setting. Elsewhere, Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew look set to deliver one of the weekend’s most charged sets, balancing rave nostalgia with heads-down energy.
The depth of the bill is where AVA really flexes. From bass-driven pressure via Interplanetary Criminal, to the sharp instincts of DJ Gigola, Pegassi and Partiboi69, the programme moves fluidly across club styles without losing coherence. Names like Chloé Caillet, Evian Christ, Takuya Nakamura, Surusinghe, 1tbsp and Angel D’Lite point to a festival that’s as interested in future-facing sounds as it is in established legacies.
Crucially, AVA continues to put Irish talent at the centre rather than the margins. Calibre, Cormac, Or:la, and Belfast-born, Berlin-based Cromby, Holly Lester and a broad cross-section of local artists that reflects the real depth of Ireland’s electronic ecosystem.
That balance between international pull and grassroots commitment has always defined AVA. Built from the ground up, the festival has grown into a meeting point for music, visual art, ideas and community, without losing sight of the people and places that shaped it. The 2026 edition promises new additions across the wider programme, with more artists still to be announced in the coming months.
To mark the announcement, AVA has also collaborated with London-based Irish director Hugh Mulhern on a bespoke animated short film, drawing inspiration from the line-up, the AVA community and Belfast itself. Playful, detailed and self-aware, it acts as a love letter to the city’s humour, resilience and creative pulse.
If this first wave is anything to go by, AVA 2026 isn’t just another festival cycle – it’s a clear articulation of where Belfast sits in the wider cultural conversation, and where it’s headed next.
Tickets
➔ Pre-sale weekend tickets go on sale via Resident Advisor at 10:00 am Thurs, 29th January
— sign up HERE.
➔ General release tickets follow at 10:00 am on Friday, 30th January
➔ Recommended accommodation options — book here.
AVA Belfast 2026 will offer a range of ticketing options to ensure accessibility for all:
➔ Weekend Tickets – full access across the festival programme.
➔ Group Tickets – discounted bundles for groups attending together.
➔ Deposit / Instalment Tickets – secure your place with a small upfront payment and spread the cost.