Over 90,000 people have attended the annual series of concerts since it started in 1995. During the years Ireland's Showbands - Do you come here often? has enjoyed sell-out runs in Belfast, Dublin, Derry, Glasgow, London and Liverpool and recently enjoyed its most successful season yet when it attracted a record audience of 18,000.

Presented by showband veteran, George Jones, this year's line-up includes showband legends Roly Daniels, Tony Kenny, Geraldine Brannigan, Brian Coll, Gene Chetty and Muriel Day and Earl Gill. This year also sees a special guest artiste – 60's singing sensation Gerry Marsden from Gerry and The Pacemakers.

At one time over 600 showbands toured across Ireland playing to capacity audiences. Most of the clubs, ballrooms and dancehalls associated with the showbands period have long disappeared, however, Ireland's Showbands brings the very best artistes of the era together to relive the unique sounds in an evening packed with pure nostalgia. All of the artistes are backed by the outstanding Galaxy Showband.

TELEVISION

The popularity of the concert series has been matched by television viewers when BBC Northern Ireland recorded the series three times, attracting audience figures which surpassed every other locally-produced television programme.

Enthusiasm for the showband era is not confined to audiences. Over the years the producers of the show, David Hull Promotions, have tracked down original showband artistes from across the world including the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and invited them to take part in the show.

Tony Brown, general manager of David Hull Promotions, commented, "We are thrilled to be presenting our twelfth Ireland's Showbands season and delighted to, once again, bring some of the biggest names from the showbands era together for an evening of outstanding entertainment. Each year the audiences for the series of concerts grow so there's an obvious appetite to keep the distinctive sounds of the era alive and all of us associated with Ireland's Showbands are delighted to be doing so."

Ireland's Showbands - Do you come here often? runs at Belfast's Waterfront Hall from Thursday to Sunday, December 27-30 and at the Millennium Forum, Derry, from Wednesday to Friday, January 9-11.

Tickets, which are selling fast, can be booked at the Waterfront Hall on 9033 4455 or online at www.waterfront.co.uk and the Millennium Forum, Derry, on 7126 4455 or online at www.millenniumforum.co.uk