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seasonal · Sunday 30 August 2026 · 6:00pm 
Live at the Square - Big 80s and 90s Party Ebrington Derry
At Ebrington Square · Ebrington Square, Derry, Co. Derry BT47 6FA
At Ebrington Square · Ebrington Square, Derry, Co. Derry BT47 6FA
Ebrington Square on the August Bank Holiday weekend is as good as it gets for outdoor live music in the north-west, and the closing night of the 2026 Live at the Square series is built around two of pop’s most-loved decades. The Big 80s and 90s Party brings together five acts whose combined back catalogue covers a fair portion of what was on the radio between 1981 and 1999 - synth-pop, new wave, eurodance, power ballads, and everything in between. It suits anyone who grew up with these songs, and equally anyone who just wants a long summer evening of anthems in one of the best open-air settings in Ireland.
The bill runs across a full evening, with doors at 6pm. ABC’s Martin Fry opens up that classic sophisti-pop sound with tracks like “The Look of Love” and “Poison Arrow”. Marc Almond brings the full Soft Cell catalogue and his solo work - expect “Tainted Love” to raise the roof. Chesney Hawkes delivers the 90s one-hit wonder everyone actually loves, and Basshunter covers the eurodance corner with energy to spare. Ciaran Gribbin, who fronted INXS for a period after Michael Hutchence, rounds out the night with rock classics from one of the great 80s stadium acts.
The event is night three of the three-night Live at the Square weekend - James Arthur plays Friday 28 August and JLS takes Saturday 29 August - so weekend passes covering all three nights are also available if you want to make a full trip of it. The organisers encourage dressing up in 80s attire, which adds to the atmosphere and gives the whole crowd a bit of a shared joke.
Ebrington Square is a former British Army barracks site that was transformed into a large public plaza after the peace process. The parade ground makes a natural outdoor stage area with plenty of room to stand, and on a late August evening the setting - with the River Foyle close by and the city visible across the water - is hard to beat.
Derry is on the main Belfast to Derry rail line, with trains running regularly from Belfast Great Victoria Street (around 2 hours). Translink buses also connect from Dublin and many towns across the north-west. By road, Derry sits on the A6 from Belfast and the N13/A2 corridor from Letterkenny and Donegal.
Ebrington Square itself is a short walk from the city centre - cross the Peace Bridge from Guildhall Square and you are there in under five minutes on foot. Parking is available at Ebrington and along Victoria Road, though for a big Bank Holiday concert night, walking from the city centre or getting a taxi is the more straightforward option.
The August Bank Holiday gives you a full long weekend to take in the walled city, the Bogside murals, the Guildhall, and the compact and walkable city centre. The Peace Bridge alone is worth the stroll. There is more to see in Derry and across Co. Derry.
Heading to Ebrington Square in Derry? Derry has plenty more to see. Read the Derry area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.