Hey folks,
Open Ear ’22 is nearly upon us. The build is on and the hype is on too. We can’t wait to see you all!
Before you make the journey down we’d like to highlight some important topics pertaining to the festival.
Travel & Parking
If you are driving to the festival please check our FAQ with regards to parking in Baltimore. It is very important that you follow these guidelines as this is a small town community and cars can’t be blocking entrances or be in illegal spaces. Cars or other vehicles are not allowed on to the island for the festival. You can bring your bike on.
Your Ticket
Your ticket will be in your email or that of your lead bookers. Please bring it on your phone or printed out along with ID. If you are not with your lead booker have their name with you, and if you have a transferred ticket have the name of the original booker with you too.
Island Transport
When you register up at the Sherkin Abbey there will be transport to bring your luggage across the island for €3. It is best to put name tags on your bags and tents etc for collecting them up at the festival site. There will be a mini bus for transporting people too but we suggest, if you are able-bodied, to grab yourself a drink and take the 40 minute stroll across the beautiful island and get yerselves in the mood for what we hope will be a seriously memorable weekend. The minibus costs €3. **Cash only for these services**
Food Vendors
Food at OE’22 will be provided by:
Warehouse Food Market & Luncheonette
Bahay
L’Oasis
They will have a selection of food catering for all dietary needs including the following below. Full menus will be available on site:
Steak sandwiches, brioches, hot pot, smoothies, grilled chicken thighs, mushroom oysters, breakfast granola, homemade lemonade, Granola Pots, Snackboards and much much more.
Food and Drink
There is no shop or off license on Sherkin Island so it is important that you stock up on all foodstuffs / toiletries etc before you come on the island. The closest town with an extensive supermarket is Skibereen. Open Ear is a BYOB festival so you are free to carry your drinks around any part of the festival site. We ask you to restrain from drinking when you are off the festival site as the island is year round home for others and we must respect their privacy at all times.
There will be a a designated area for cooking apparatus on the campsite.
Cash Monies
There is no ATM on the island. The closest one is in the shop in Baltimore so please remember to bring some cash with you along with your card.
Ferry from Baltimore
The ferry ticket is not included in your festival ticket or bus ticket. This must be paid as you board the ferry and it is 100% cash ONLY. Ferry costs €12 return. The Ferry will run all day Friday as each ferry fills up. The last ferry will be 10pm and NO LATER. We can’t emphasise this enough – the ferry company is facilitating us a lot on the Friday and there will be no later access to the island on Friday. Ferry times will run as normal for the rest of the weekend. Please check the June Timetable on this page
Containers / glass / plastics
We’d really love if this weekend people would bring reusable liquid containers to help reduce waste at the festival / island. It is very important that we keep this to a minimum. Also if you could transfer liquids from glass bottles too.
Jolly Roger / The Islanders Rest
There will be no Sunday party in the Jolly Roger this weekend. The pub is closed for a private function on Sunday so it is very important that you do not try and gain access to it on the Sunday. And sure we’ve an unreal line up of music laid on for ya down the North Shore main site.
The Islanders Rest is currently not in operation so please do not try and access it at any time over the course of the weekend.
The people of Sherkin, in allowing us to host the festival on the island, have displayed a huge amount of trust in us and we ask you to return the favour by being as sound and as respectful as possible.
Social Media Blackout
At our Emerge one day event last year we operated a social media blackout and we would really love if you could adhere to this over the weekend. The last couple of years has been a difficult and trying time for everyone and we’d love it for everyone to just live in the moment for the 3 days. Sherkin is an amazing, secluded part of the world, so lets have a few days where the worries and problems of the outside world are far from our minds
Health & Safety
There will be a dedicated medic on site 24/7, located at the production area. If you are a friend are having problems please contact a member of security immediately and you will be attended to.
Also PsyCare Ireland is a new Irish organization that will be on site at Open Ear this year. Their mission is to provide dedicated services at Music Festivals and Music Events, where high risk drug use is common; to provide one-to-one peer support, psychological first aid and crisis mental health intervention to service users in need. PsyCare Ireland provides a peaceful, friendly and safe space in the heart of the busy world of the festival.
At Open Ear Festival they will be providing Harm Reduction information and chatting with festival goers on Saturday by the entrance. For more information feel free to check out our website: www.psycareireland.org
Finally head on over to our Line Up page to find out all about who is playing and keep an eye on our socials for the Timetable breakdown in the next 24hrs
Team OE xx
