Upstart Festival Glounthaune 2026: Full Line-up & Times
Upstart Festival has a knack for booking bands before everyone else catches on. Cliffords played the 2022 edition fresh off winning UCC’s Battle of the Bands before Glastonbury and Reading appearances and Rolling Stone write-ups and more; the inimitable I Dreamed I Dream, favourites of this site, stormed the stage in 2024; Cardinals also turned up in 2024, not long before signing up to major high profile support slots and KEXP sessions, releasing their debut album Masquerade this February.
That’s the curious pull of Craig’s Field, Glounthaune — a one-day, community-run bill that keeps landing the names still on the way up. This year Adore top a run of seven, with The Love Buzz, Maicín, Jean Pack & The Slay Babies, White Noise, Serial Mom and Trainwreck across the card. Doors 4pm, and Eventbrite sales close 1pm Saturday.
See below for a focus on a few of the bands set to play on Saturday, 19th September 2026. Tickets still available via Eventbrite.
Adore (9pm)
Adore will take everyone home on the final straight, closing the festival with the 9pm slot. Having released their debut E.P. BITER in 2025, the group have spent recent months bringing their “unrelenting, enraged, riotous brand of garage-punk” to summer festivals, U.K. shows, RTÉ sessions and Ireland Music Week.
The Love Buzz (8pm)
The Love Buzz explode back onto the Upstart scene having played previous iterations of the festival. It’s difficult to get by the Hot Press tag – “pure off the bone punkadelic pleasure” – and that’s what festival goers will get on Saturday from a band who bring a frenetic energy to their live shows. Catch The Love Buzz before they embark on yet another Irish and UK tour.
Jean Pack & The Slay Babies — (6.15pm)
low trees caught up with Jean Pack (Niamh Hayes) last year ahead of the release of her single Birthday, and the project’s only sharpened since. Doubling as the synth player in I Dreamed I Dream, Hayes writes garage rock twists of sun-bright, 60s-pop songs. Her debut EP Allora, five tracks recorded at Big Child Studios with Caoilian Sherlock, came out last summer. The Slay Babies return to bring Jean Pack’s tunes to life. Read the full interview here.
Upstart Festival: Run Times
The official stage times at the time of publication are the below:
4.00pm — Trainwreck
4.45pm — Serial Mom
5.30pm — White Noise
6.15pm — Jean Pack & The Slay Babies
7.00pm — Maicín
8.00pm — The Love Buzz
9.00pm — Adore
For all of the official details see the upstartfestival.ie website.
Upstart Festival 2026 — FAQ
What time does Upstart Festival start?
Gates open at 4pm, with the seven-band bill running through to Adore’s headline slot at 9pm.
Where is Upstart Festival Glounthaune?
The festival takes place at Craig’s Field, Ballynaroon, Glounthaune village, Co. Cork — a five-minute walk from Glounthaune train station.
How do I get tickets for Upstart Festival 2026?
Tickets are available still via Eventbrite. Sales close at 1pm on Saturday 19th September.
Who’s playing Upstart Festival 2026?
Adore headline, with The Love Buzz, Maicín, Jean Pack & The Slay Babies, White Noise, Serial Mom and Trainwreck completing the bill.
Is Upstart Festival all ages?
The festival welcomes younger music fans, aged 15 and over, to attend. Under 16’s must be accompanied by a parent /guardian over 18.
How do I get to Upstart Festival?
It’s a car-free event — Glounthaune train station is a five-minute walk from the site, with frequent services from Cork City, Midleton and Cobh.
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