"There was a time when the only outsiders that came here were British soldiers," a taxi driver called Thomas told me on the second night of Belfast's AVA Festival. "But things have changed so much over the last ten or 20 years."

Like other cities attempting to shed unwanted and outdated reputations, Belfast is in the process of reinventing itself as a postindustrial hub of arts and culture. Titanic Quarter, the 185-acre waterfront development and Northern Ireland's biggest regeneration project, is a case in point. It's home to the impressive Titanic museum, a shiny new film studio (currently shooting the new Game Of Thrones spin-off, I was told) and, for two days of the year, Northern Ireland's leading dance music festival.

Taking place in the Titanic Slipways, the AVA site strikes a balance between the functional and the visually intriguing. On the one hand, you could walk around the entire site in just five minutes, despite the festival hosting some 10,000 punters. On the other, it was kitted out with an array of striking audiovisual installations (AVA stands for Audio Visual Arts, after all). With glorious non-stop sunshine and the most expansive lineup to date, 2023 could go down as AVA's most triumphant edition yet.

"These are literal tears of joy," a zealous teen called Mackenzie shouted on day two as his eyes welled up. "AVA has shaped me as a person." While the average attendee may not have quite reached those levels of enthusiasm, it was easy to see just how much the festival means to Belfast.

Here are eight tracks that captured the vibe across the weekend.

Efa O'Neill at The Nomadic
BASHKKA - "Act Bad"

Across its eight-year history, AVA has remained committed to spotlighting the finest in Irish talent, both from Belfast and further afield. This year was no different. It was mid-afternoon on day one, and Kerry-born Efa O'Neill was the first to really light the touch paper. Reaching for everything from pumping house and hardcore to trance and Ice Spice edits, her high-energy selections at the greenhouse-like Nomadic stage–by far the most popular stage across the weekend–encouraged a surge of new people onto the dance floor. The pick of the bunch was BASHKKA's "Act Bad," a bass-heavy romp that captured O'Neill's lively energy and set the tone for what was to come.

Jossy Mitsu at The Nomadic
Technosis - "Change Positions"

Jossy Mitsu is one of UK dance music's most exciting DJs. Her set at AVA, characterised by slick, cross-genre mixing and selections, was testament to this. From 140-BPM bass cuts to stomping New York house and Paul Johnson classics, it was a masterclass. The seductive, Art Of Noise-sampling Baltimore cut "Change Positions" by Technosis felt like the high point. Mitsu stuck around for the rest of the weekend, accompanied by her sister, soaking up the vibe and taking it all in.

Carlton Doom at The Grasses
Maroki - "Pots & Pans & Handstands"

Carlton Doom was one of many hometown heroes flying the flag at the BBC Radio Ulster-sponsored Grasses stage (honourable mentions to fellow locals Jordan Nocturne, Holly Lester and Ricky Chong, who all played memorable sets there). Despite being the smallest of the four stages, consisting of little more than a small white tent enclosing the decks, it held a consistent crowd for the bulk of the festival. As the sun began to fall, Doom opted for a set filled with wonky, broken techno–typified by the pulsating throb of Maroki's "Pots & Pans & Handstands."

IMNOTYOURMATE at The Nomadic
Dr. Rude - "Ravers Groove"

The prize for the most raucous set of the weekend goes to Belfast rave demon Kyle Cooper, AKA IMNOTYOURMATE. Making his Boiler Room debut at The Nomadic, the DSNT Crew affiliate exuded rockstar energy as he jumped on top of the decks, whipped his shirt off and swigged from a bottle of Buckfast—all while bumping a garish, incendiary blend of industrial techno, hardstyle and happy hardcore. The crowd responded in predictably unhinged fashion, clambering on each other's shoulders and doing their best to create some sort of Irish Thunderdome experience–an apt response to Dutch hardcore mainstay Dr. Rude's "Ravers Groove." The fact that there were more punters stomping around here than at the Main Stage for chart-topping rapper Central Cee said a lot about the overall vibe of AVA's attendees.

Reger at The Nomadic
Gipsy Kings - "Bamboléo"

On the second sun-soaked day, Reger, a DJ who one excitable punter likened to "a young, Irish Ben UFO," was first up. Judging by the 21-year-old's slim build and specs, this comparison presumably had as much to do with his physical attributes as it did his tune selection and flair for digging. Surrounded by a sizeable contingent of friends and contemporaries, all kitted out with custom Boiler Room scarves emblazoned with his name, Reger cultivated an exquisite house party vibe. By the time the unmistakable sounds of "Bamboléo" by the Gipsy Kings played out as his final track, the crowd were already chanting "REGER! REGER!" in unison.

Marion Hawkes at The Nomadic
Aerobica - "Sex In Heaven"

Buoyed by the electric reaction to Reger's performance, local DJ, promoter, record store owner and all-around scene facilitator Marion Hawkes took the reins next, diving into dark, grooving EBM. "I've never been so nervous before a set before," she admitted on Instagram the following day. This could explain the fleeting slip-up a few seconds in, but tracks like Marie Davidson's "Work It," D.A.F.'s "Brothers" and the euphoric sax of "Sex In Heaven" by Aerobica quickly had the dance floor back in raptures.

Ben UFO at The Pumphouse
Prozak - "Like This (Sharda Remix)"

At The Pumphouse, AVA's only indoor stage, the real Ben UFO did what he does best for the packed-out crowd. Bursting straight out the gates with breakneck four-on-the-floor, his set was as fun and carefree as you're likely to hear from the Hessle Audio boss. Hypnotic visuals beamed out from behind the booth, accentuating the warehouse feel, while Ben UFO bounced about the booth excitedly, occasionally sipping from a bottle of Perrier. A few of many disparate highlights were Spriitzz's "Where R U (Ibiza Mix)," Ouncez's dubstep flip of Flowdan's "Horror Show Style" and, almost inevitably, that new Pangaea tune. But it was Sharda's euphoric UKG remix of "Like This" by Prozak (part of a new wave of Irish garage producers) that received the biggest reaction.

Sally C back-to-back Or:la at Main Stage
Overdubz - "I Want Bass"

Sally C and Or:la, two of Northern Ireland's finest contemporary exports, went back-to-back to close out the festival. What the Main Stage lacked in intimacy–a feel that the other stages all offered–it made up for in production value and location, set against the futuristic facade of the Titanic museum. The pair commanded the arena from the start, working their way through hip-house, electro and ravey hardcore. As the set moved into its latter stages, a Stena Line ferry glided past during sunset, just as the organ section of Overdubz's "I Want Bass" kicked in. It felt like a fitting finale to a near-perfect weekend of music, revelry and sunshine.

Correction, June 7th: A previous version of this article said Sally C and Or:la are both from Belfast. The latter is actually from Derry.

Efa O'Neill at The Nomadic BASHKKA - "Act Bad"

Jossy Mitsu at The Nomadic Technosis - "Change Positions"

Carlton Doom at The Grasses Maroki - "Pots & Pans & Handstands"

IMNOTYOURMATE at The Nomadic Dr. Rude - "Ravers Groove"

Reger at The Nomadic Gipsy Kings - "Bamboléo"

Marion Hawkes at The Nomadic Aerobica - "Sex In Heaven"

Ben UFO at The Pumphouse Prozak - "Like This (Sharda Remix)"

Sally C back-to-back Or:la at Main Stage Overdubz - "I Want Bass"