To coincide with the opening of the London 2012 Festival of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a star-studded Peace One Day Concert will take place on 21 June in Derry˜Londonderry, Northern Ireland’s second city and the UK City of Culture for 2013.
Among the top artists playing the gig at the historic Ebrington site in the city, are the DJ and trip hop duo, Massive Attack.
The gig will be the centrepiece of a city-wide, day-long music festival, and marks the beginning of the three-month countdown to Peace Day on 21 September, which calls for a day of global ceasefire and non-violence.
On 30 June, the region’s capital, Belfast, will host Land of Giants, the largest outdoor arts event ever seen in Northern Ireland, which will present acrobatics, aerial dance, carnival, circus, music, multi-media and pyrotechnics in an epic spectacle.
The inspiration for the event comes from the ‘giants’ of Northern Ireland’s history, literature, society and landscape.
These include Gulliver, hero of the renowned novel by Irish born author Jonathan Swift.
Swift reportedly got the idea for the story while living in Belfast from where he could look up to Cave Hill, whose summit is said to look like the face of a sleeping giant.
Finn McCool, legendary creator of the famous Giant’s Causeway on Northern Ireland’s stunning north coast, will also feature, as will the giant shipyard cranes, Samson and Goliath, which still dominate Belfast’s skyline today.
The Peace One Day Concert and Land of Giants summer spectacles are just two of eight major events and part of over 160 activities organised to celebrate ni2012, a year-long programme of festivities celebrating the new Northern Ireland and anchored on the Titanic centenary commemorations.
Also in June will be the Irish Open, to be staged at the magnificent Royal Portrush, ranked among the world’s top golf courses.
The competition will attract world-class golfers including Ireland’s own golfing superstars – Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington.
July will see a four-day maritime festival take place in Derry˜Londonderry linked to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, and in October an extended programme of arts events will mark the 50th Belfast Festival at Queen’s.
www.discoverireland.com
www.peaceoneday.org
www.landofgiants.info
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