The first few acts for Tennent’s Vital 2016 have just been confirmed by Tennent’s Lager and MCD. Along with information on when tickets will be on sale.

When Is Tennent’s Vital This Year?

Tennent’s Vital this year is on Thursday 25th August, with more to be announced!

So Who’s Playing Tennent’s Vital This Year?

Those heading over to Boucher Road Playing Fields on Thursday 25th August will see a headline set by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, who will be joined by special guests Fall Out Boy. And although news of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers has been floating around for a while, but Fall Out Boy are a nice surprise!

One of the most successful acts in rock history, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have sold over 60 million albums, including five multi-platinum LPs.  They have six Grammy Awards to their credit, including ‘Best Rock Album’ for Stadium Arcadium, ‘Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group’ for Dani California, ‘Best Rock Song’ for Scar Tissue and ‘Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal’ for Give It Away …  creating for themselves a worldwide fan base that spans the generations.  The band holds the all-time record for most No.1 singles at Alternative Radio – a total of eleven singles with a combined 81 weeks at No.1. No surprise, then, when the band which came together in LA back in 1983 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein 2012.

The US giants of rock  last played Belfast as part of the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2011, and RHCP’s return to Northern Ireland has been hotly anticipated with much speculation on whether singer Anthony Kiedis, bass player Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer would play Tennent’s Vital.

Chicago’s favourite rockers, Fall Out Boy, made it big on the international stage with a run of amazing albums. Infinity On High hit the No.1 album slot in 2007 and Save Rock And Roll took the slot again in 2013.  American Beauty/American Psychowas their sixth studio album, spinning off three solid chart singles: CenturiesUma Thurman, Irresistible (featuring Demi Lovato).  The album also includes an alternate version of Immortals, the band’s RIAA Gold, UK No 1 single from the soundtrack of the record-setting Disney movie, Big Hero 6.

Although the Illinois foursome – of Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman – have been making mega hits for 10 years,  it wasn’t until November last year that they won their first American Music Award for favourite artist.

Brian Beattie, Marketing Director for Tennent’s NI, said:

“It’s fantastic to be announcing we’ve secured The Chili Peppers to headline Tennent’s Vital 2016 – they’re undoubtedly one of the biggest bands in the world with a great reputation for their amazing live shows so we’re expecting big things!  Fall Out Boy is a fabulous addition to the bill and we’re well into negotiations to secure still more big names to make this an amazing Summer of music in Belfast.

“Tennent’s Vital has earned a unique place as a highlight of Northern Ireland’s music calendar and each year we have to up the ante by delivering top international plus fresh home-grown talent. You may feel that 2015 was, literally, a hard act to follow, but 2016 is already shaping up to be something special – all credit to our industry-leading partners at MCD!  And there’s more to come, with further announcements due over coming months.”

Last year’s Tennent’s Vital saw a top line-up including Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding, The Script and Kodaline play to some 65,000 music fans at Boucher Road Playing Fields, and this year’s event is set once again bring some of the best musical talent on the planet to Belfast for an unforgettable festival experience.

When Can I Get Tickets To Tennent’s Vital?

Tickets for this year’s festival go on sale on Friday 11th March on Ticketmaster and are £49.50. If you’re a fan of Tennent’s Lager on Facebook, you will have priority access to a pre-sale from Wednesday 9th March. To keep up to date with what’s going on follow Tennent’s Lager on Facebook and Twitter, or join the event here.

Please note: Tennent’s Vital is an over 16s event.  However, a parent aged 25 and over can take up to two under 16s to the show.  Parents will be required to show age identification and sign a consent form in order to gain admission on the day. Under 16s must be accompanied by their parent at all times. Bars will operate a strict Challenge 25 policy.

Laura Caldwell

Author: Laura Caldwell

Hi, I'm Laura. I'm 30 years old and have a degree in Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as writing for BBC Across the Line.