Only two large-scale events will take place in Ebrington Square this year leaving local councillors disappointed.
Members of Derry City and Strabane District Council have received an updated report on the site which out outlined that three other planned events are not going ahead.
Scottish DJ Ewan McVicar, who came to prominence with the release of his debut single Tell Me Something Good in 2021, and 1970s disco legends Sister Sledge will headline the two-day Jika Jika Festival later this month.
In August, T’Pau and Nik Kershaw come to Derry for a Back to the 80s show.
Council’s Director of Business and Culture, Aeidin McCarter, said: “Members will be aware that the council supported The Executive Office (TEO) with an open process to have events at Ebrington Square in 2024.
A summary of the outcome of this process was brought to members in February.
“TEO have identified legal restrictions, including a limit on the number of events which can be held.
“They are committed to reviewing this as part of the overall strategy development, but the engagement process, design of a new strategy and any legal processes required is one which will take some time.
“The [application] process will involve a short, four-week expression of interest which would allow for the number of events to be assessed and determine if there was a requirement to move to a more detailed Stage 2. This is in line with the previous process for 2024.
“To support 2025 and 2026 events Council officers are proposing to work with TEO to allow for up to five major events to take place at Ebrington in both 2025 and 2026.
“There were eight applicants [in 2024], with two for the same date and the top scoring applicant awarded that date.
“One applicant was withdrawn as they were unable to provide details of their acts six months in advance, another event withdrew due to operational reasons, and an event at the beginning of August did not respond to any requests for further information.
“This leaves just two events taking place, and members will be aware of the difficulties and concerns with the level of detail each promoter was able to provide in advance, indicating that the market may not be as strong as was hoped.
“Feedback on this has been shared with TEO and they plan to look at the issues as part of their engagement process with a view to developing a longer-term development plan for events on the site.”
The latest set-back comes less than a year after a public row over gigs taking place in the square.
The venue is located at the Waterside end of Derry’s iconic peace bridge.
New arrangements for events at the Ebrington site in 2024 came into effect last year after a dispute when four concerts had their permission withdrawn by The Executive Office (TEO), which owns the site.
That followed a threat of legal action by the Ebrington Hotel, which opened at the square in July 2023.
The gigs were then approved after the hotel dropped its objection amid a fierce public backlash.
The new arrangements that followed allow for a maximum of five outdoor concerts each year.
The council now manages the application for promoters hoping to hold events at the site, while responsibility for event management remains with TEO.
Promoters must also now provide the council with written confirmation of the acts at least six months in advance.
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