The dates are set for the 2027 edition of Your Roots Are Showing, the fast-growing international conference for roots music artists of every kind all over the world. It will be held once again in Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, from February 24-28, 2027.
Organizers were quite pleased with the turnout this year, with artists, journalists, and industry leaders from the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in attendance. YRAS runs much like the annual IBMA convention, World of Bluegrass, with a mix of panels and seminars, keynote addresses and conversations, artists showcases, and their big opening concert, billed as Folk In Fusion.
Since the initial conference in 2023, bluegrass and old time acts have been welcomed as showcase artists, with some coming over from the US and Canada with an eye towards increasing their visibility and performing opportunities in Ireland, the UK, and the rest of Europe.
Applications for showcase artists at the 2027 conference open on April 5, and can be completed online. Again, much like the Bluegrass Ramble showcases during World of Bluegrass, acts will be chosen based on artistic quality, live performance potential, and readiness for international opportunities. The international aspect of this event is quite important to the organizers, and they are eager to receive participation from outside of Ireland.
Co-Founder and Creative Director Brendan McCreanor says that the event’s impact is a factor of the community members they bring together.
“Artists, agents, festival programmers and media are all in the same rooms having real conversations about how music moves across borders. The energy this year was incredible. You could feel partnerships forming in real time. That’s exactly what YRAS was built to do.”
Your Roots Are Showing is both an annual conference and a membership organization, dedicated to increased opportunities for every sort of roots music artists, most certainly including bluegrass. Memberships start at €70 annually.
Full details about the 2027 conference, and showcase opportunities, can be found on the YRAS web site.
