Hotter than July is a free, family-friendly world music festival taking place in Smithfield Square, celebrating the cultural diversity of Dublin city through music and dance from around the world.

Presented by Dublin City Council and Improvised Music Company, in collaboration with the Big Bang Festival, Dubliners and visitors to the city can enjoy a musical kaleidoscope of feel-good rhythms and grooving melodies, with food traders and fun interactive workshops adding to this perfect day out celebrating ‘summer in the city'. Everybody welcome!

As is now tradition, Hotter Than July opens with a bang at 3pm, as Maracatu Ilha Brilhate get the party started with their procession of traditional Brazilian ‘Maracatu' drumming, using music of Pernambuco's various Maracatu traditions, in the energy and spirit of Maracatu.

Four piece OJO are an ultimate world-fusion band, characterised by the melodic sounds of the sunpan, with guitar, banjo, bass and cajon creating the backbone. Fast, rhythmical, high energy music with a Caribbean vibe, yet melody and rhythm that are drenched in traditional Irish undertones.

Dublin-based Brazilian quintet Namangaia promise to bring you on a musical trip through the forró rhythms of Brazil, featuring rich cultural elements and harmonies driven by powerful rhythmical and traditions.

Woweembeem DJs will be spinning records throughout the day, with music from Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean / French West Indies, South America and all corners of the globe – afro, reggae, latin & rare grooves.

Catherine Young Dance and the Big Bang Festival, supported by Dance Ireland, come together once again in a month of public workshops to create an original choreography based on traditional West African Dance and percussion, with a live dance performance at Hotter than July as the Big Bang Dance Project!

Kakatsitsi Drummers from Ghana perform a buoyant live show – an almost spiritual experience, made for dancing. They are accompanied by Mbilou, a shaman from the Bitwi religion of Gabon playing the mougongo (mouth bow) and the nagoya-ngombi (harp). You can catch their full show at Big Bang Festival, on Friday 26^th at Whelan's.

Bloco Mulêketú are a samba-reggae group based in Paris and Marseilles playing this style of percussive music from the ‘blocos afros' of Salvador de Bahia, which evolved with samba and neighboring Caribbean rhythms resulting in a rich, high energy sound. You can catch their full show at Big Bang Festival of Rhythm on Saturday 27^th at The Sugar Club.

Festival favourites Jiggy's sprightly line up mixes and melds Irish traditional music, Indian classical, world rhythms and cutting-edge dance grooves that will have your feet tingling and your toes tapping.

Closing Hotter than July with a boom are Yankari, a high energy 11-piece band that combine rhythms, melodies and lyrics from Yoruba and Igbo tribes, creating a sound reminiscent of the Afrobeat greats of the 60's and 70's. Fuji, highlife and funk have been chewed up by this exuberant band to create a sweet and heavy groove for the 21^st century.

In addition to a full programme of music to keep you dancing, audiences at Hotter Than July also have the opportunity to make your own music, with family drumming workshops from Jabba Jabba Jembe, and percussive instrument-making workshops with Ed Devane happening throughout the day.

Join us in Smithfield Square on Sunday July 28^th for this feel-good celebration of the cultures, people and sweet sounds of our city!