Max HeyraudWith just days to go until AVA Festival 2026 opens its gates, we’re excited to join them for a live panel discussion as part of their conference taking place this Thursday at The MAC.
This Thursday from 2–3 pm, we head to Belfast for a live panel discussion at AVA at The MAC as part of The Four Fourcast Live, hosted by Max Heyraud.
The conversation brings together Crilli DnB, Holly Lester (Free The Night), and Chanty (Mince) to explore the past, present, and future of Belfast’s storied club culture.
The panel will unpack the current state of the city’s nightlife, tracing its evolution and the challenges it faces today. Central to the discussion are Belfast’s restrictive licensing laws, which have contributed to a fragile club ecosystem where venues often close, and few new spaces are able to open. The conversation will also examine how this shapes the way people engage with club culture, its limitations, as well as its unexpected strengths.
Alongside this, the panel will explore the diversity of sounds emerging across the North of Ireland’s club landscape, and the multicultural voices that continue to shape it. It will ask what is holding the scene back, what is pushing it forward, and how DIY spaces and safe spaces have become vital to its survival.
Set against Belfast’s unique cultural backdrop, the discussion considers how these forces have shaped club culture, and why clubs remain more important than ever in the city’s contemporary identity.
This event is free, register here to find out what’s in store.
If you’re heading to AVA this weekend expect to catch the best of dance music from home and abroad, with a rich tapestry of genres, audiovisual performances and peak dance floor energy. Make sure to download the festival app via Woov here to personalise your timetable, chat with friends and get custom alerts so you never miss a set.
