Live at the Marquee kicks off summer gigs with an impressive line-up of acts

AIKEN Promotions is committed to its new site on Centre Park Rd for the next three years, with Peter Aiken saying he expects the series will move to the proposed Cork Events Centre once it is completed.

Marking its 19th year in Cork, and first year at the old Tedcastle Oil site, Live at the Marquee will kick off tomorrow with the Sugababes and finish the summer 2024 dates on June 25 with Tom Odell.

Over the next four weeks, various domestic and international acts will take to the stage at the tent including the newly announced Theo Von, who will be performing his stand-up act on June 9.

Other new and returning acts include The Coronas, Gavin James, Lyra, Ne-yo, Bicep, Van Morrison, and Bryan Adams.

Committed

Speaking to The Echo at the launch of Live at the Marquee yesterday, Peter Aiken said that they had spent “a lot more than we thought we’d spend” in preparation for this year’s event, stressing, that “there’s still a lot to do, but we’re committed to it”.

Mr Aiken said that he thinks people will enjoy the new facility: “We’ve put a lot of stone into this, and we want to make it work.

“We looked at different sites all around the city, but they just didn’t work. It’s great to be back in the same area, we’re familiar with it and how it operates.

“There’s plenty of room and I think people will enjoy it.”

Returning with the famous blue and yellow striped tent, which holds up to 5,000 people, Mr Aiken said that people can expect to see an increased number of food trucks and larger bar areas at the new site.

“The outdoor food stalls, there’s so much demand for them now, they’re nearly stars themselves [and] this year we’re doubling, with more variety as well,” he said.

“The Guinness bar is sort of an attraction [too], when you see the scale of it, they’ve been here for a week building.”

Intimate

Mr Aiken said that while big acts enjoy the intimate tented venue, there is always room for growth within the music promotion industry.

“Times have moved you know, you need a bigger arena,” he said.

“People want to go to events, and the better the facility the more people will show up, [so] we’ll see what happens.”

Asked if he believes the venue will automatically move to the events centre once completed, he said: “It probably will, the capacity will suit. We’re selling 70,000 tickets here at the moment. People are coming in droves.”

Mr Aiken commended the Irish artists who play at the venue, saying they are the “bread and butter” of Live at the Marquee.

“Without the Irish acts, the marquee would never have worked, they’re the ones who keep it going,” he said.