DIY arts and music festival Quarter Block Party has announced its highly anticipated 2023 edition, taking place in various venues around Cork City from July 14th to 16th.

The festival will once again create an immersive experience that engages both locals and visitors in an exploration of the arts scene around Cork City. Quarter Block Party has traditionally taken place during February, but for the festival's first outing since 2020, organisers have joined the summer festival season with a busy lineup for the Rebel County.

Among the notable acts gracing the stages this year are the Belfast based group Junk Drawer - an indie rock band known for their infectious energy and eclectic sound, who previously performed at the last Quarter Block Party in 2020 and featured in Hot Press' Hot for 2023 list. Fans can expect a captivating performance filled with their signature blend of melodic hooks and introspective lyrics at The Nest at Coughlan’s Bar on Saturday 15th July.

Junk Drawer

Junk Drawer will play Coughlan's on Douglas Street alongside Cork locals Listening Face, as well as soulful singer-songwriter Elaine Howley and former Choice Music Prize Nominee Maija Sofia.

The opening night of the festival will take place in the trendy location of St. Luke’s Cross on the northside of Cork City, featuring an array of talent from the experimental and and avant garde genre; Cork composers Jane Deasy and Muireann Levis, and multi-instrumentalist Ana Palindrome will be entertaining on the 14th, with a selection of other talented performers also joining the Friday lineup.

Elaine Howley

A special one-off show will take place on the stage of Live At St. Luke’s with limited capacity for electronic artist Flowers at Night and Mantua, the experimental project of artist Elaine Malone.

The weekend will also feature an open mic for all art forms including spoken word, circus, music and everything in between at Circus Factory on Centre Park Road.

The final day of Quarter Block Party will see concerts across various venues, including The Green Room in Cork Opera House, Plugd Records and Crane Lane Theatre. These stages will be graced by talents from across Ireland including Limerick shoegaze indie rockers, His Fathers Voice, Fermanagh’s idiosyncratic folk, jazz and trad composer Róis, and Craic Boi Mental, a TikTok star with millions of views and a serious passion for tackling social issues.

Craic Boi Mental

The weekend will finish off with a closing party at Crane Lane Theatre with the North Kerry’s Messyng playing with Cork supergroup, Crying Loser.

Quarter hopes to bring the arts community of Cork together to congregate, network and share their work with each other and the public. Having previously hosted growing Irish stars including Aoife Nessa Francis, CMAT and KNEECAP, Quarter Block Party embraces the cutting-edge and innovative works of emerging artists, and champions diversity and creativity across a range of live performance spaces.

The full lineup is included below. Tickets for all shows go on sale on Thursday 1st June at 10am via eventbrite.ie