: ❗EXTRA TICKETS RELEASED! Don't Miss Out! From: Ards International Guitar Festival

[Studio NI]

You’ve got first look at the Ards Guitar Festival programme! Studio NI Extra Tickets Released! This year Ards International Guitar Festival celebrates 30 YEARS 🎉 - so expect our biggest celebration yet with 5 nights of show-stopping headline acts! 15 - 19 April 2026 Venues throughout Newtownards Check out the details for each of our headline acts below - tickets selling fast, so don’t miss out! ‼️LIMITED TICKETS REMAINING‼️ John Martyn - A Celebration with Ken Haddock and Band Featuring Ken Haddock, Colm McClean, John McCullough, Connor McCreanor, and Adrian McIlduff. An unforgettable night, featuring the music of one of all-time songwriting, guitar and vocal greats – John Martyn, delivered by an all-star band fronted by one of our own all-time songwriting, vocal and guitar greats: Ken Haddock! Although we have released extra tickets for this previously sold out show, they are already going fast - so early booking is advised to avoid disappointment! Queen’s Hall, Newtownards Thurs 16 Apr, 8pm £25 Limited tickets remaining! ⭐ EXTRA TICKETS RELEASED ⭐ Ricky Warwick and The Fighting Hearts Don’t miss the almighty, home-grown rock front man, Ricky Warwick for a festival finale with The Fighting Hearts. Ricky Warwick is one of British rock’s most authentic and enduring voices. Best known as the front man of The Almighty, Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy. Due to phenomenal demand, extra tickets have been released - book your’s now before they sell out again! Queen’s Hall, Newtownards Sun 19 Apr, 7.30pm £25 Don’t miss out! ‼️SELLING FAST‼️ Pierre Bensusan As he celebrates 50 years of touring the world, we are delighted to welcome back Internationally renowned guitar virtuoso, Pierre Bensusan, to the festival! For this special performance, Pierre will be joined on stage by George Lowden and Aaron Lowden for a brief Q&A - and to take us back to where his unique partnership with the Lowden brand began. Queen’s Hall, Newtownards Wed 15 Apr, 8pm £20 Tickets selling fast! Andy McKee Widely regarded as one of the world’s finest acoustic guitarists With over 60 million Youtube views for his original song, ‘Drifting’, Andy McKee is known for his youthful energy and strong sense of melody and songcraft, establishing him as one of the most distinctive and influential guitarists today. Queen’s Hall, Newtownards Fri 17 Apr, 8pm £25 Book now Martin Taylor ~ Standards Martin Taylor, the virtuoso of fingerstyle jazz returns - with a celebration of timeless standards… Multi-award-winning guitarist Martin Taylor MBE has been described by Jeff Beck as ‘the best guitarist in the world’ and by Pat Metheny as ‘one of the most awesome solo guitar players in history.’ Queen’s Hall, Newtownards Sat 18 Apr, 8pm £20 Book now Copyright (C) 2026 Ards Arts Centre. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as you opted to subscribe to the E-mailing list for ANDculture, (Ards Arts Centre and North Down Museum). We send out the latest news for the Arts and Heritage Service of Ards and North Down Borough Council, including: - Music events - Arts exhibitions - Creative classes and workshops - Heritage exhibitions and talks - Festivals (including: Ards International Guitar Festival, Creative Peninsula, Ards Puppet Festival, Aspects Literature Festival) - Theatre performances - Community Arts news Our mailing address is: Ards Arts Centre Ards Arts Centre Conway Square Newtownards, Down BT23 4NP United Kingdom Add us to your address book

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Studio NI: Promoting Arts and Culture in the North of Ireland since 2004. NIC101100