BBC News NI
BBCIf you’re looking for people in brown shoes and checked shirts, the Farmer’s Bash in Belfast is the place to be on Saturday and Sunday.
And between them, the attendees are sure to have a good few acres.
Johnny Smacks, one half of the Saturday headliners The 2 Johnnies, said the event will have a huge “buzz” and promises to be “our Glastonbury”.
For the first time the event will take place across Saturday and Sunday, at a new home of the Boucher Road Playing Fields.
The 2 Johnnies and the Kaiser Chiefs will be joined by B*Witched, Boyzlife and Nathan Carter. There will also be a sheep shearing disco, Shrek rave and a husband calling championship.
Nigel Campbell launched the Farmer’s Bash in 2016 in an attempt to bring more country acts together in one place, and says it’s about “more than just music”.
He told BBC News NI he is most excited to watch the sheep shearing disco this weekend.
“It’s the one for me, it’s never been done before, world champion sheep shearers coming across and taking part with a DJ at the same time playing all those bangers everyone loves.”
Nigel said if he had to give ticket holders three tips for the weekend they would be: “Get here early, get your best country outfit on and bring the family along.”
The 2 Johnnies will be performing from 9.30pm on Saturday night.
Johnny B aka John O’Brien said: “It’s absolutely mad craic, where else would you wanna be…it’s a musical all Ireland.”
Johnny Smacks aka John McMahon said: “It’ll suit that mayhem and madness that we’ll bring to the occasion – it’ll be some buzz”.
“There’s something special about looking at a field full of people, sinking pints and having the craic, Farmer’s Bash is gonna be our Glastonbury.”
The gig will be the duo’s biggest performance in Northern Ireland and “hopefully the first of many times”, that they’ll perform with their band the Junior B All-Stars.
But what about the pair’s farming credentials?
Johnny Smacks says he is an “adopted farmer,” having lived on a dairy farm for eight years.
“See my wife’s father is a farmer,” he said.
“I am the worst farmer of all time. I don’t really like dirt. I don’t like work and I don’t like getting involved, but I mean, if I had to block a gap, I would!”
Johnny B added “A lot of my family are farmers, it’s great craic, I’m a daytime farmer, a fair weather farmer”.
One of the most intriguing events at this years Farmer’s Bash is the inaugural husband calling championships.
Taking place on Sunday, the event will be led by Paul and Cathy Collins. The pair have become well known on TikTok after Cathy posted a video of herself shouting for Paul.
“We happened to film it, then we posted it on TikTok and it just went bananas,” she said.
“I sit down and I yell Paul and he brings me things.”
Paul added: “There’s nothing made up, what you see is what you get, this is real life.”
He said: “I sit in the kitchen and she’s in the living room, it really is quite loud in your ear.”
Organisers expect the championship to be quite loud too – contestants will call from the main stage, with the winner decided by audience reaction.
Kyle Scott has previously attended the Farmer’s Bash as a spectator but this year he will be competing in the event’s strongman competition.
Kyle said he is most looking forward to the “pick up truck deadlift” event, which will see competitors deadlift a pick up for maximum repetitions.
He said spectators can expect to see, “a lot of heavy lifting and a lot of big men pushing themselves as hard as they can”.
Getting to the Farmers Bash
Organisers recommend public transport or car sharing.
Car: There will be limited parking available near the venue.
Train: Balmoral train station is the closest, with regular services from Belfast city centre.
Bus: Translink Metro services operate routes that stop near Boucher Road.
