SoFFT Nights welcomes patrons back to the beautiful surroundings of Dunderry Park, Co. Meath this June 4th and 5th. This year, the festival will offer a shuttle bus service from Dublin to the festival with just a 50-minute journey, bus tickets are available to purchase for Saturday and Sunday.
Creating a unique experience with nature, SoFFT Productions brings a careful selection of the best musical talent. They also aim to bring a brand new experience to their well-being activities such as Astronomy Talks, Bat Walks, Music For Young Children, Shamanic journeying, Reggae yoga, Sound Baths, Active Imagination Workshops, Site-Specific Theatre. Reconnect with nature, nurture and nonsense!
Speaking about the upcoming event at Dunderry Park, Festival Director, Natasha Duffy said:
“We put on the very first festival in the midst of covid in October 2020 and over the course of 2021 put on another ten festivals in very difficult positions. Sometimes it felt like Forrest Gump and Captain Dan hanging on for dear life in the storm but we got through it! This year our motto is nature, nurture, and nonsense and we really mean that! One of the most exciting elements for me is the new sensory space for people with neurodiversity that might want to take a break from the busyness of the festival and have a super chill break out space, this goes for kids of all ages as well!’”
On Saturday night, 4th June, SoFFT Nights bring you a tremendous blend of lo-fi R&B, dance, and pop music with headliner Tolü Makay performing as one of Ireland’s creative voices. Tolü is no stranger to TV with an array of appearances and performances on Other Voices, The Late Late Show, The Tommy Tiernan Show, Fanning At Whelans, The Heart Of Saturday Night as well as a headline show at Vicar Street.
This is an extraordinary artist who blends R&B traits with jazz balladry and electronic production to create a wonderfully uplifting form of pop music that knows no boundaries. With Irish Tatler Woman of The Year and Best Female Artists at Black & Irish Artist of the Year topping off a substantially meaningful twelve months for Tolü Makay, the future looks golden as she prepares to release her debut album in 2022.
Continuing the party on Saturday, 4th June, Elaine Mai will take the stage with May Kay and Sinead White. Elaine’s marquee single ‘No Forever (feat. MayKay)’ garnered widespread acclaim and achieved over 11 million impressions across Irish radio. It hit No.2 in the Irish Radio Breakers chart and peaked at No.6 in the Viral 50 Ireland Spotify chart. This gained her an RTÉ Prize ‘Song of the Year’ nomination in 2021. Sinead White will perform with Elaine and May-Kay on the night, Sinead is known for her sensual and unhinged albums, she echoes Fiona Apple, House Plants and many more.
The festive atmosphere continues with Ireland’s most exciting and emerging artists Pastiche. Recently crowned one of Hot Press’ #HotFor2022 acts – Dublin born and raised Pastiche brings you a fresh delivery of pop music, with her infectious and unapologetically herself pop sound.. Named by the Irish Examiner as “Irish acts to watch out for in 2022” and the Irish Times as “Irish music acts to listen to in 2022”.
On Sunday, 5th June, SoFFT Nights will bring a more traditional, folk feel to its music lineup with Lisa O’ Neill performing. Lisa’s last release on the Rough Trade imprint River Lea, ‘Heard A Long Gone Song’ has garnered huge acclaim both at home and abroad. It was Choice Nominated, gained a 5/5 star review in The Guardian, and a coveted ‘Best Folk Album of 2019’ from the same publication.
Joining Lisa will be one of Ireland’s favourite folk music/ world music groups, Kíla. The band had a 20 date post-lockdown tour all over Éire between August and November last year. The band won the IFTA for Best Original Score for Tom Ó Súileabháin’s feature Arracht which was Ireland’s entry to the Oscars in the foreign-language film category.
Alternative Folk Band Moxie will be performing on Sunday, 5th June. They released their second album in September 2021, ‘The Dawn of Motion’ described as a timeless body of work. Moxie was nominated for the 2021 RTÉ Folk Awards as Best Folk Group amongst great artists such as Villagers, Ye Vagabonds, The Whileaways.
A highlight to the festival will be on Sunday, 5th June singer Séan Fitzgerald and Lankum’s Daragh Lynch. Séan is best known for his work with The Deadlians, his tender folk music with Ruskavellas, and his renowned walking tours of Dublin, his work is singular, entirely unique, and sometimes visionary.
Daragh Lynch is known for being one-quarter of Dublin group Lankum, he has been involved in a number of musical, artistic, and political projects in Dublin since the early 2000s. The popularity of Lankum took all four members by surprise, and it gave them a chance to explore their wide-ranging musical tastes – Krautrock, ambient electronic, psychedelic rock, black metal, punk – within the framework of traditional folk music.
Sofft Nights offers you a festival experience like no other, a chance to reconnect with nature, nurture yourself and have fun whilst doing it!
As well as our spectacular artist lineup, SoFFT Nights bring new activities and workshops for all the family to enjoy throughout the weekend. Take a look at ways to disconnect and reconnect this June;
Lee Hurley – Astronomy Talks
This June we will have a special guest, Lee Hurley, to talk to you about the galaxy, life, the universe, and everything in it! Graduating from Dublin City University with a degree in Physics & Astronomy, Lee has a vast array of wisdom on most astronomy topics that he’s waiting to share with all of you at SoFFt Nights 2022!
Peter O’Connor – Bat Walk
Welcoming back Peter O’Connor, Musician, Tour Guide, and Environmentalist to our festival series this year! Peter has led Bat Walks since 2003, presenting for Heritage Week and various festivals. The Bat Walk consists of a 15/20 minute discourse on Irish bats – their loves, their lives, a Q&A session, and a lead walk using a Bat Detector, along with a loudspeaker to facilitate the group. Those partaking in the Bat Walk are asked to wear sturdy shoes/boots, warm clothes, and carry a torch of some description. These spooky yet thrilling Bat Walks give you a chance at seeing the captivating creatures in action.
Sensory Cave
This year, Sofft Nights are making a conscious effort to prioritise the wellbeing of all of our patrons. As part of this, we will be launching a new sensory space on the grounds of our festival site in Dunderry in June. Our ‘Sensory Cave’ will be situated in our onsite cairn, and will feature a custom-made soundscape. The space will run at select hours in our day programme of events and also throughout the evening concert.
Kyle Riley – Music For Young Children
We’re delighted to have Kyle Riley warming all our hearts with his music that’s enjoyable for all the family! Kyle knows your rock toddlers, little boppers, and ceol kids are guaranteed to make a mighty noise while they sing, jump and shake to his music. Perfectly suited for 2-8-year-olds and their adults, it’s 60 minutes of musical fun where the kids get to rock.
Site-Specific Theatre
Krabat – Based on German folklore, “Krabat”’ follows the story of a young girl who is called to a mill deep in the woods. After becoming an apprentice to the mysterious miller, she not only learns his craft but also the secrets of black magic. She soon discovers that the power of magic comes with a price and is ultimately confronted with the choice to follow years of tradition or break the rules and blaze her own path.
The production is specifically designed for the beautiful and extraordinary outdoor venue of Dunderry Park. Following Krabat through her story, we will explore the site’s wonderful nature anew and find the magic in the ordinary – strolling together through the woods and over the meadows. We specifically welcome families and audience interaction.
Common Crow Theatre’ is a company based in Dublin, Ireland, founded and run by international artists. Their work is committed to connecting Ireland and the global community by diversifying both the works they produce and the artists who produce them.
Saturday Tickets + Sunday Tickets
Early bird tickets are available at €35.00 plus booking fee per day until 21st March
Full price €45.00 plus booking fee per day
