Bruce Springsteen in Belfast: Everything you need to know

Bruce Springsteen will play to about 40,000 people at the event in Boucher Playing Fields on Thursday

Born in the USA but loved the world over - Bruce Springsteen is coming to the (lucky) town of Belfast in 2024.

The European leg of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band World Tour kicks off in Cardiff on 5 May, with Boucher Playing Fields in Belfast the second stop on the tour.

The Boss has played on the island of Ireland about 30 times in his five-decade career.

His first Irish concert was in Slane Castle in County Meath on June 1985 as part of his Born In The USA tour.

That gig saw his biggest ever audience at the time, with a crowd of more than 65,000 making their way to the venue.

Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Elvis Costello were among the crowd.

Fast forward almost 40 years and 2024 has already been a busy year - with a world tour, a Curb Your Enthusiasm appearance and Nebraska album film announced.

Where is Bruce Springsteen playing in Belfast?

The star's ever-faithful E Street Band - including guitarist and sidekick Steve Van Zandt - have been with him since the start

The Born to Run singer is coming to Boucher Playing Fields on Thursday, 9 May.

He will play to about 40,000 people.

He'll then make his way to the Republic of Ireland, with a date in Kilkenny at KK UPMC Nowlan Park on 12 May; in Cork where he's at SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, on 16 May; before he heads up to Dublin where he is playing Croke Park on 19 May.

Who is supporting Bruce Springsteen?

There are no support acts- Springsteen will go on stage at 19:00 BST sharp on 9 May.

The gates to the playing fields open at 17:00.

Where are Boucher Playing Fields?

The playing fields are off the Boucher Road in south Belfast, backing on to the Westlink.

They are a short walk from the Lisburn Road and Stockman's Lane.

Have tickets sold out for Belfast?

The concert promoter, Aiken Promotions, say that while the Belfast concert is officially sold out, a limited number of tickets are being drip-fed on to Ticketmaster to counteract scammers and tickets being sold at higher prices via third-party sites.

This comes after a warning that fans were warned to look out for "bogus sellers" offering tickets to the gig.

There was also some controversy over the price of tickets for his Belfast gig, which retailed at £126.

Tickets went on sale on 7 November and while the Cork and Kilkenny shows were sold out in 90 minutes, Belfast and Croke Park were slower sellers.

The last time he was in Belfast in 2013, he entertained a crowd of about 25,000 people at the King's Hall and tickets were priced from £55.

Will there be road closures for the Springsteen gig?

The PSNI says there will be traffic disruption in the area between midday and midnight and a number of road closures:

• Boucher Road - one lane (city-bound) will be closed between its junction with Shane's Retail Park and Boucher Crescent between 17:00 and 20:00

• Boucher Road - fully closed between its junctions with Tates Avenue and Stockmans Lane between 20:00 and 00:00

• Stockmans Lane - fully closed between its junctions with Balmoral interchange and Lisburn Road between 20:00 and 00:00

• Balmoral Road and Link - fully closed from 12:00 until 00:00

Diversions will be in place.

Signposted, accessible parking will be available in Balmoral Road, where coaches will also be parked but will not be able to leave until permitted.

There will be no pick-up or drop-off points within the road closure area.

The PSNI urged concertgoers to be respectful of local businesses and residents, particularly when leaving the concert.

"We want everyone attending the concert to have a great night, to stay safe, and remember the event for all the right reasons.

"Please act responsibly, stay with your friends and look after one another - and if you need help during the evening speak with event staff or the police," said Supt Bush.

Is there a bus or transport to the Bruce Springsteen gig in Belfast?

There are a number of special bus and rail services that have been put on for the gig by Translink, both for getting to Belfast and the Boucher Road.

There is a special bus to the playing fields from Foyleside bus centre in Londonderry, which leaves at 16:30 and picks up in Drumahoe, Claudy, Dungiven, Maghera and Toome.

The bus will go back to Derry at 23:30 and customers need to be back to the coach at least 15 minutes before it leaves. Tickets for this service have now sold out.

If you want to take a train you can get any Bangor, Coleraine, Larne or Portadown line service to Balmoral Train Station and customers can then get the shuttle services that operate between 22:45 and 23:45 from Balmoral Train Station to Belfast's Great Victoria Street Station.

There will also be trains stopping at selected stops on the Portadown line.

Onward rail travel from Great Victoria Street is available to Larne Harbour at 23:25, Bangor at 23:57 and Coleraine at 23:45.

Translink says customers who want to catch these onward connections are advised to leave sufficient time to transfer between Balmoral and Great Victoria Street on the shuttle services.

The Boss in New York in November

From Belfast city centre check the Translink journey planner for more details.

The venue strongly advises the use of public transport because of traffic and parking delays.

There will be no parking, drop off or collections in the immediate area of the concert site.

Traffic will be diverted away from roads around the concert site.

What's Bruce Springsteen's Belfast connection?

Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on stage in the RDS in Dublin in July 1988

His wife Patti Scialfa's mum is from Belfast.

The Boss also has a wider connection to the island of Ireland.

The 73-year-old singer-songwriter's great-great-great-grandparents left Rathangan in County Kildare for New Jersey in 1853.

In May, he visited the town while playing a string of live shows in Ireland.

Springsteen on stage at Slane Castle in June 1985

What's the weather going to be like for the Bruce Springsteen Belfast gig?

Our Barra Best says that currently dry weather, some warm sunshine, temperatures of around 19C and light winds are predicted.

However, as all good weather presenters know, it's best to learn from the legendary BBC weatherman Michael Fish's infamous hurricane assurances and not make any promises.

Organisers advise sensible clothing and something waterproof to cover all eventualities.

Keep an eye on the BBC weather page for the latest updates.

Anything else I need to know before I head off to see The Boss?

Thursday is a busy day in Belfast, with late-night shopping, and the venue is near busy retail parks - so allow yourself plenty of time to get to the venue.

Download your tickets from your Ticketmaster account to your iPhone wallet/Google Pay wallet before show day.

Screenshots or printouts of digital tickets will not be accepted.  Organisers have said that early queuing will not to be allowed as the venue is near a residential area. 

Organisers also have asked concert goers not to bring a bag unless it is absolutely necessary.

People without bags will be fast-tracked. If you must bring a bag it needs to be less than A4 size and it will be searched, which will mean queueing for longer.

No bags larger than A4 size will be allowed into the venue, nor will you be allowed to leave them unattended anywhere in or near the venue. No seating or any kind of umbrella will be permitted.