The first City Stages event is set to take place this Saturday, November 26, at Three's Cruises Street store in Limerick – with a line-up featuring some of Ireland's most popular buskers, performing from 12pm.

The City Stages initiative – presented by Three, in association with Hot Press, AIM Ireland and Sony Music Ireland – is designed to support the next generation of Irish musicians, currently performing on city streets, to progress their careers to the biggest stages in the country, opening for major acts at venues like the 3Arena and 3Olympia Theatre.

This Saturday's gig in Limerick will take place on a custom-built stage – which will host not only an exciting selection of top buskers, but also a headline performance from a surprise special guest act.

City Stages will return to Limerick in January, and will tour Ireland over the coming months, providing a platform for buskers and emerging musicians to perform to new audiences and promote their music.

Those chosen to perform will be given their own dedicated performance slot and recorded content of their performance. They'll also get access to a series of mentoring masterclasses led by a panel of Irish music industry professionals – providing the emerging musicians with helpful information to progress their music careers, from advice on management and booking live shows, to increasing their fan base and pitching their music to media.

The initiative is also supported by City Stages ambassadors, including Limerick's own hip-hop collective Narolane, and broadcaster Tracy Clifford.

“It is great to see this innovative idea launch in Limerick City," says God Knows of Narolane. "Three’s City Stages project will help to shine a light on local artists. Limerick has such a wealth of talent doing amazing things and we are excited to see what this campaign could do for their careers and provide guidance as they progress to the next level.”

“Ireland is experiencing an exciting time with music and initiatives like this can only help to bring new amazing talent to the fore," adds Tracy Clifford. "I’m delighted to be on board to help discover these new acts and look forward to seeing those artists soon on bigger stages."

David Ward, Interim Director of Marketing at Three, notes that music has always been an important part of Three’s DNA...

"We are thrilled," he says, "to support new talent in this stage of their careers, providing them with the tools and opportunity to take the next step in their journey. We look forward to seeing some of them one day headline venues such as 3Olympia and 3Arena.”

“Three Ireland are part of AIM Ireland’s Friends of Programme, so we are delighted to be able to support with this initiative," comments AIM Ireland CEO Gill Dooley. "Our mission with AIM Ireland is to promote growth, awareness and opportunities for the independent music industry. It is therefore encouraging to see brands such as Three offer their meaningful support in helping to nurture the next generation of music talent from this country. This is a great platform for the pipeline of talent that our members so often end up working with as the artists career develops.”

Annette Donnelly, MD of Sony Music Ireland points out that "Ireland’s city streets have given us some great artists over the years" – and as such, "Sony Music are excited to be a part of City Stages.”

To apply to play at City Stages, see 3.ie/CityStages

Introducing: Three City Stages 🥳

City Stages offers a platform for buskers and emerging talent to support acts at 3Arena and 3Olympia - taking artists from the smallest stage to the biggest music venues in Ireland 😍

Swipe and click below for more information 👇

— Three Ireland (@ThreeIreland) November 22, 2022