Body & Soul 2020: Headline acts announced for ‘new, intimate’ festival

Metronomy, Róisín Murphy and King Kong Company are among the first acts announced for this year’s festival. 

The festival, which is taking place on June 19 -21 in Ballinlough Castle, Co. Westmeath, is set to “champion Ireland’s homegrown talent” at the popular event.

Other headliners announced are Princess Nokia, Kojaque, Marc Rebillet, Khruangbin, Sampa The Great, Kneecap, Mango x Mathman, TPM, Jape, Daithí, Hare Squead, God Knows, The Clockworks, Elm, PowPig, Aoife Nessa Frances, Aimée, Alex Gough, Conchúr White, Denise Chaila, Somebody’s Child, Kitt Philippa, Thumper, Nealo and Soda Blonde.

Setting the scene

And for the 11th year of the hugely popular music festival, event organisers are changing things up. They promise a “completely new, more intimate festival layout, a carefully considered line up and a refreshed annual promise of a weekend full of surprises.”

For 2020, Body&Soul has invited Burning Man Temple Builder Geordie Van Der Bosch to Ballinlough to design a 35-Foot Temple as a centrepiece to the festival. As part of its brand new Ideas Programme, The Temple will be a place to bring together performers, thinkers, writers and public figures from the world of music, innovation and the arts: an immersive art piece and speaker stage by day and an exclusively programmed neon disco-beam dancefloor by night.

There will be nine different venues across the festival grounds this year.

The Sanctuary will enjoy a huge spectrum of wellness and music programming across a much bigger, more expansive space to bend and relax by the lake.

A completely sequestered area, it will feature its own designated acoustic stage along with Massage Tents, Yoga Salons, Gong Baths, a Sauna and Open-Air Hot Tubs dotted across the hidden gardens.

The Woodlands Stage made from resurrected fallen trees, which counts among its previous performers: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Nicolas Jaar & Fat Freddy’s Drop plays host to new voices and fresh perspectives.

Changing it up

The 17th Century Walled Gardens will feature an entirely new format of jazz, theatrical performances, parlour games, cocktails and comedy dotted through its many doorways; with The Orchard dedicated entirely to artisan feast-like fare in a farmer’s market-type setting: craft beers, fine wines, long table banquets, and delicious locally sourced food and more.

The dedicated Soul Kids’ area will also return, as will the extremely popular Us&You (Leave No Trace) campsite.

Weekend tickets and First Release tickets are on sale on Ticketbooth on www.bodyandsoul.ie. 

See bodyandsoul.ie for more.