Sound of Belfast Festival

Date: Friday 6 November to Monday 16 November 2026

Venue: Various locations in Belfast

The Sound of Belfast Festival is an annual celebration of Belfast's thriving and diverse musical landscape.

The festival showcases Belfast’s musical talents and status as a UNESCO City of Music. Spanning gospel to garage rock, electronic to rap, the festival celebrates Belfast's world class music community through collaboration, partnerships and specially curated events across the city.

There are free and paid events. For festival information, go to Sound of Belfast Festival (link opens in new window).

Northern Ireland Music Prize 2026

The festival's flagship event is the Northern Ireland Music Prize. This prize will be awarded on Wednesday 11 November 2026 in the Ulster Hall.