Stage set for open-air city centre music festival

The stage is almost set for a new open-air city centre summer music festival in Cork.

The city council confirmed last night that it is seeking quotes for the supply and delivery of a mobile stage.

It is hoped the stage will be delivered in time to host the new summer music festival, which will kick off on Emmet Place in May.

The plaza will initially host concerts on Friday evenings, from 6-8pm, with hopes that concerts will also be hosted on Saturdays and Sundays later in the season.

The council’s Tourism, Events, Arts and Marketing unit has developed the Lee Sessions and the Pulses of Tradition festival.

But TEAM spokesman Damien O’Mahony said that they have plans to use more of the city’s public spaces for outdoor concerts.

“We are the choral capital of Ireland and the jazz capital of Ireland and we’d hope to piggyback on the back of some of these festivals,” he said.

The tender documents state that the stage must:

* Be mobile, trailer mounted and covered, weigh no more than 3.5 tonnes and be capable of being towed by pick-up or SUV vehicle.

* Be nine meters long, about six meters deep with a stage height clearance of at least 2.5m at the wings.

* Be made of galvanized steel or aluminium or a mix, and have built-in ballast.

* Be capable of erection within three hours by three local crew and should not require extra machinery.

The supplier must deliver the stage and certify crew for assembly, take-down and maintenance.

Ideally, the stage will have a domed truss single bay roof with 250kg for a small lighting rig.

The floor must be capable of taking a minimum of 250kg per square meter, and the stage must be capable of withstanding a minimum of force 8 wind gusts.