Thousands of festival-goers in the Indiependence groove

Thousands of music fans are today packing up their tents and leaving Mitchelstown after the annual Indiependence Music and Arts festival came to a close last night.

Three-day camping and individual day tickets for the festival sold out in advance of this year’s event, and music fans packed out Indiependence’s expanded 10,000 capacity over the weekend.

Vanessa Meade and Nicola O’Driscoll, Mallow, Co Cork at the Indiependence arts and music festival in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

UK five-piece band Editors brought the festival to a close with their second appearance in Mitchelstown, while Downpatrick, Co Down outfit Ash also played the main stage for their third Indiependence set.

Other headliners across the weekend included Bell X1, Walking On Cars, and The Blizzards, while fans also took in comedy, spoken word, and a new ‘music trail’, which saw new emerging acts play at locations across the town.

Youghal’s Sarah Nolan, Janice Murphy, Emma Healy, and Nicola O’Connell.

Businesses as varied as shoe shops, pizzerias and supermarkets all hosted gigs from bands that brought crowds from the Deer Farm festival site on the northern outskirts of Mitchelstown into the town itself.

“It’s fantastic to be involved in bringing a portion of the event back to the streets of Mitchelstown,” said Indiependence organiser Shane Dunne.

Michelle Hennessy of Blackrock, Cork, and Dolores Mangan of Galway at Indiependence in Mitchelstown.

“The support that Indie is receiving from the businesses of Mitchelstown is fantastic and we hope that this event, which is funded and supported by Cork County Council and The Mitchelstown Forum, will help to ensure it’s a great weekend not only at Deer Farm but also on the streets of Mitchelstown,” he said.

Mallow’s Orla Murphy, Serena Smyth, Ann Marie Ruby, and Aoife Coughlan at the Indiependence festival in Mitchelstown.

Back at the festival site, bands played at three stages, with a number of marquees hosting DJ sets across the weekend.

The Garda Press Office last night said that it had no reports of any serious incidents at the festival.