This year’s Groomsport Music Festival will take on a distinctly Cajun feel with the arrival of the first Harbour Hoedown.

With a fantastic entertainment line-up featuring flavours of Bluegrass and Cajun, this free event taking place on Saturday July 5 is a must for music lovers!

BBC’s Joe Lindsay from “Across The Line” and “Getaways” will guide the audience through the event’s performers.  First on stage at 7pm are The Hardchargers.  The Hardchargers do exactly what it says on the tin – deliciously irreverent dirty blues.  It’s exciting, provocative and honest, ranging from down-home washboard/ resonator/double bass workouts, to a heady blend of twangy electric blues and roadhouse style rock.  A blistering three-piece, The Hardchargers have performed at a stellar list of music and arts festivals all over the island of Ireland as well as appearing alongside cult US artists Bob Log III, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and just recently, The Waterboys.

Next up, is The Flatville Aces – formed in the late 80s, this four piece from Southhampton are Britain’s best exponents of Cajun-flavoured roots dance music, playing Louisiana styled Cajun, comprising fiddle, accordion, acoustic bass and guitar with vocals in English and French.

The superb headline act will not disappoint, taking to the stage at 9.30pm, Hayseed Dixie are an internationally renowned outfit, headlining festivals all over the world and have played the main stage at Glastonbury.  They perform classic and original rocks songs by the likes of AC/DC, Motorhead and Queen in a fast, furious American blue-grass style they call “Rockgrass,” complete with fiddles, guitars, mandolins, dueling banjos and hillbilly harmonies. The four members of the group are world class musicians and their show is highly entertaining and family friendly.

For the children;  there will be a funfair in operation from the afternoon; and from 2pm – 4pm at Cockle Row; there will be glitter tattoos, children’s crafts, balloon modelling and World of Owls followed by a magician, face-painting and Party Animals NI from 4pm – 6pm.

There will also be a food available on site from 4pm providing an array of food and refreshments, another great reason to visit Groomsport and make a day of it! To help make it an even more enjoyable evening, Translink are putting on a special late night service with buses at 11pm and 11.30pm back to Bangor.