The award-winning British singer-songwriter will bring more than 25 years of R&B and UK garage hits to the Mid Summer Ball in August, with Tinie Tempah headlining an official after-party later that night.
British R&B and UK Garage star Craig David is to perform live in North Cyprus for the first time this summer, when he headlines the Mid Summer Ball in Girne / Kyrenia.
The Southampton-born singer will present his popular TS5 show at the Jasmine Court Hotel and Casino on Friday, 7 August 2026. The open-air concert will combine live vocals, DJing and MCing with a soundtrack spanning R&B, garage, hip-hop and dance music.
Organisers have described the appearance as a landmark event for North Cyprus, promising a Miami-themed production featuring elaborate lighting, high-quality sound and some of David’s best-known songs. His performance is scheduled to run from 9.30pm until 11pm.
David, who turned 45 in May, emerged as one of Britain’s most exciting young performers at the end of the 1990s and went on to become one of the most commercially successful singers associated with UK Garage.
From Southampton clubs to the top of the charts
Born Craig Ashley David in Southampton on 5 May 1981, he began developing his skills as a DJ and vocalist while still a teenager.
His national breakthrough came in 1999 when he featured on and co-wrote Artful Dodger’s infectious garage anthem Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta). The track reached number two in the UK Singles Chart and helped make David one of the most recognisable voices of the emerging two-step Garage movement.
His first solo single, Fill Me In, followed in April 2000 and went straight to number one. David was just 18 at the time, making him the youngest British male solo artist then to top the UK chart with a debut single.
He repeated the success only a few months later with 7 Days, another number one hit built around his smooth vocals and conversational style of storytelling. Its memorable account of a week-long romance became his signature song and helped establish him internationally.
David’s debut album, Born to Do It, was released in August 2000 when he was 19. It topped the UK Albums Chart and was reported at the time to have become the fastest-selling debut album by a British male solo artist.
The album also produced Walking Away, which reached number three, and Rendezvous, a number eight hit. Blending contemporary R&B with Garage rhythms, acoustic guitar and pop songwriting, Born to Do It made David a major star both in Britain and overseas.
Second number 1 album
David continued his success with his second album, Slicker Than Your Average, released in 2002. Its singles included What’s Your Flava?, Hidden Agenda and Rise & Fall, a collaboration with Sting that peaked at number two in the UK in 2003.
After several years away from the top of the album chart, David enjoyed a major career resurgence with Following My Intuition, which became his second UK number one album in 2016.
His international recognition has included two Grammy Award nominations for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: one for Fill Me In and another for 7 Days. He has also won six MOBO Awards, including Best R&B/Soul Act in 2017, and was appointed an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours for his services to music.
More than a quarter of a century after his debut, David continues to record and tour. He released his latest album, Commitment, in 2025, alongside a 25th-anniversary edition of Born to Do It.
What is Craig David’s TS5 show?
David’s TS5 format is not a conventional greatest-hits concert. It combines his roles as a singer, MC and DJ in a continuous, club-style performance.
His own material is mixed with Garage, R&B, hip-hop, house and party classics, allowing him to move between performing songs such as Fill Me In and 7 Days and mixing records behind the decks. The format has become a major part of his international festival and nightclub appearances.
The Mid Summer Ball full line-up and after-party
First launched in Cyprus in 2005, the Mid Summer Ball (MSB) has become an annual fixture in North Cyprus’ social calendar, attracting dance music fans from across the island and abroad with a range of DJ-led events in a multitude of venues over the summer.
This year, DJs Colin Francis, DJ Woody, and J Junior will perform either side of MSB’s headline Craig David show at Jasmine Court Hotel. DJ Woody and J Junior will perform from 7pm, followed by Craig David’s TS5 show at 9.30pm. Colin Francis takes over from 11pm until midnight. Expect a special guest appearance from comedian Richard Blackwood too.
La Nouba after-party with Tinie Tempah
The party moves on to La Nouba in Girne for part 2 – the MSB official afterparty – where British rapper Tinie Tempah will give a special live performance. This is the second visit to North Cyprus for the Pass Out and Written in the Stars star, having first appeared live at Cage in 2017.
Tinie Tempah will be joined by DJs Rampage, Max Denham, Vita London, N.S.E and EDSKI, with the action kicking off at 11pm and running until 4am, although La Nouba is open before then for those who want to arrive early.
Early bird and phase 1 tickets have already sold out, so advance purchase of tickets is highly recommended to guarantee yourself entry to two of the hottest events in Cyprus this summer.
Both events are restricted to those aged 18 and over. Tickets for the main concert, the after-party and combined entry are available through the official Eventbrite and La Nouba ticketing pages.
Main image, top, of singer and songwriter Craig David performing a live concert as part of Energy Air 2022 at the Stockhorn Arena in Thun, Switzerland, on 10th, September 2022. Photo credit © Tilman Jentzsch/Alamy
RELATED ARTICLES
From North Cyprus to North London, this is the story of The Mid Summer Ball, 16 July 2019
All-star DJ line-up set to perform on the Mid Summer Ball stage at Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival, 22 June 2019
Tinie Tempah set to rock Cage Club in Girne, 01 August 2017
