K.A.D - The Belfast DJ living her festival dream

Bruce Springsteen, Liam Gallagher, Noah Kahan and now some of the biggest stars in electronic and dance music.

Boucher Playing Fields is getting ready to host another major music event in 2024 with about 70,000 fans descending on the south Belfast venue for the Emerge dance festival.

Among the acts is Belfast DJ K.A.D, who is opening one of the stages on Saturday.

She joins over 80 other performers such as Peggy Gou and Patrick Topping.

Earlier on Saturday police reminded those attending Emerge and those dropping them off, that passengers cannot get out of vehicles while queueing on the M1 motorway and walk down the hard shoulder.

"The hard shoulder of a motorway is also not a waiting area for those picking people up from the event at Boucher," the PSNI said, adding that is an offence to walk along the motorway.

K.A.D started out as a DJ three years ago

K.A.D - or Kerryann Denny - is 28 and became a DJ about three years ago after she was bought a set of decks by her boyfriend for Christmas.

"There wasn’t that much female talent going around so it was embarrassing at the start," she told BBC News NI. "I was like what are people going to think?"

"I’ve always been obsessed with music, always been obsessed with festivals, concerts.

"My mummy used to have a joke saying I would dance to two spoons beating together. Anywhere there was sound, I was there."

Her boyfriend, sister and friends are her biggest fans, she said.

And her parents but they prefer to watch videos rather than attend concerts.

Three years ago Kerryann attended Emerge as a fan.

She said: "Everyone that I saw who I knew here was going 'this is going to be you' and 'that'll be you'.

And they weren't wrong.

Last year she was booked for the emerging talent stage.

Now she has the "surreal" experience of playing to about 7,000 people in one of the festival's larger tents, Shine.

There is nothing like a Belfast crowd, she added.

As for the set, it is "all a secret", but high energy is promised.

K.A.D attended Emerge three years ago, now she's performing at it for a second year

Her advice to other budding DJs: "Don’t care what people think because look where I am standing now. I'm going to be playing here on Saturday so just go for it."

Alongside her hard work, K.A.D said she thinks she has manifested a lot in her career so far.

"If I'm dancing in the crowd I've always seen myself on that stage and this is where it's led to."

As for the future, K.A.D said she loves playing tents and hopes to move up a slot next year.

Joe Dougan is the organiser of Emerge

Joe Dougan, Emerge organiser, said this year's festival had been planned for "about a year and a half".

"It’s a big job between the audio-visual experience that we deliver screens, C02, fireworks all of this stuff and then all of the talent as well."

He added Belfast is a bit different in terms of dance music compared to other markets.

"It’s a very good market. It’s a really good local scene here both in Northern Ireland and actually on the island of Ireland," he said.

"Belfast has a big taste for kind of tougher dance music, techno and some of the more commercial stuff works really well as well".

'Dynamic and interesting and world class'

This year the festival has promised new and international acts that have never played in the city before, such as Brutilismus3000.

"This is their first ever show and they’re playing third down on the main stage so it’s a big one," Mr Dougan explained.

"The experience for the audience is way better than last year in my view. We have invested a lot of money into making it really dynamic and interesting and world class.

"And I’m really excited to see what people think about it."

Timings for all performers can be found on the festival's website

Joe said alongside planning the festival, he wants to enjoy it as a fan and looks forward to K.A.D's tent, which becomes "like a big nightclub".

The organiser said his advice for people attending is to "go and see everything" and make a plan as "inevitably there will be clashes between stages".

All timings are published on the Emerge website.

In excess of 70,000 people are set to attend Emerge over the weekend

How do I get to Emerge?

Boucher Road Fields can be accessed by public transport, foot, car or taxi.

On Saturday the PSNI reminded those attending Emerge and those dropping them off, were reminded that passengers cannot get out of vehicles while queueing on the motorway and walk down the hard shoulder.

The PSNI also reminded the public that it is illegal to park on the hard shoulder of motorways following Tennent's Vital.

"In addition to the obvious danger posed, the hard shoulder including the off slip is still part of the motorway and it is an offence for anyone to walk on it and for any driver to stop on the hard shoulder unless it is an emergency."

Issues arose after concerts had taken place at Boucher Road and large numbers of people were making their way home from the venue.

For Emerge, the PSNI said organisers will have traffic restrictions in place.

"The area in and around the M1 at Stockman's Lane junction, Stockman's Lane and Boucher Road will be extremely busy".

It should be noted the festival is strictly aged 16+ and the festival said IDs will be checked.