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Date: 30 July 2026
Belfast will officially strike the first note of the Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 this Sunday 2 August, from 12 noon, with a momentous opening event at City Hall.
Everyone is welcome to the main Gig Rig stage outside City Hall to tune up together for eight days of music, participation and friendship as the city is transformed into a giant stage for the world’s biggest celebration of traditional Irish music and culture.
Embracing the event’s strapline, Celebrating Together, the show will get underway with the specially commissioned ‘Sharing Traditions’ showcase.
Featuring traditional musicians from Ards CCÉ and the Belfast Bands Forum, alongside performers from Arts Ekta and South Asian Dance Academy, the performance, followed by a 130+ choir of school pupils from Belfast and North Down, will deliver a strong flavour of what to expect from the Fleadh in Belfast – Ireland’s only UNESCO City of Music.
Admission to the opening ceremony is totally free, and will be packed with energetic, colourful performances by trad and folk favourites, including the Blackwater Céilí Band, Goitse and the Shaer, Moss and Warnock Trio.
There will also be words of welcome from hosts Belfast City Council, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, who are celebrating their 75th anniversary, and Ards CCÉ, who also mark 50 years in 2026.
Topping the opening night bill is Sharon Shannon and her Big Band, from 8pm, with the legendary accordion virtuoso rounding off a historic day for the city, as it welcomes one of Europe’s biggest cultural festivals for the first time and sets the tone for a week of shared celebration.
What to expect:
A festival for music lovers
Music will fill the city’s streets from Sunday, with big name acts, intimate performances, impromptu sessions and talented musicians at every turn.
The vast majority of events are free, but some are ticketed and costs apply.
Kate Nash, Ryan McMullan and Foy Vance will host intimate performances at some of the city’s specialist music venues as part of the Fleadh Fringe in Belfast city centre, City Hall will host two open-air céilís on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August (3pm), while Comhaltas signature events include the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, the Ceol na Cruinne International Showcase and a concert with the Kilfenora Céilí Band.
The Gig Rig at City Hall will host free music from morning until late evening daily, with headline acts, including many trad icons, with groups like Sí Fiddlers and Lunása.
All musicians travelling to Belfast can showcase their talents with seven pop-up session spaces – located at 2 Royal Avenue, Castle Place, Donegall Quay/Big Fish, CastleCourt, Corn Market, the Assembly Rooms and ICC Belfast – all designed for drop-in acoustic opportunities.
All the city’s musical stories will feature throughout the week – from the Ulster Bands Showcase at Titanic Slipways (Thursday 6 August) and the Connections multi-cultural showcase at the Gig Rig (Friday 7 August), to new music at 2 Royal Avenue with Smashing Buttons sessions on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August.
Family fun
The Fleadh is famous for encouraging multi-generation participation and Belfast will be no exception.
Families can enjoy a huge range of activities, with children’s trad trails, storytelling inspired by Irish and Ulster-Scots folklore, circus and carnival performances, Irish dancing display, daily youth seisiúns, family recitals and a dedicated space at Castle Place for arts and crafts and street entertainers.
The Food Village at Belfast Cathedral offers a place to refuel and relax, and the Irish Language Hub at the MAC also has entertainment and events for families, delivered through Irish, including storytelling, films and circus skills.
For night owls
The Fleadh programme comes alive after dark, with a packed fringe festival which embraces the city’s UNESCO music status.
A Fleadh favourite, the Trisco (trad disco) is on Friday 7 August and will be hosted in the Limelight, alongside an energetic performance from multi award-winning trio, Talisk. Evenings can also be enjoyed with ticketed performances and awards at venues like the Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall.
Look out too for Belfast favourites like Late-Night Art (Thursday 6 August), as the city’s venues and spaces embrace the Fleadh atmosphere, with their own independent events and offerings to whet the appetite of the 800,000+ visitors expected across the week.
Additional late-night bus and rail services will be in place on Sunday 2 August, then again from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 August, to help visitors get home safely after evening events.
Beyond the music
Away from the sessions, there’s a wealth of other events to also enjoy.
Take your pick from lectures on Belfast’s harping heritage, learn how instruments are made at Belfast Met, or check out art exhibitions celebrating trad musicians past and present.
Venues like St Joseph’s Church in Sailortown, Clifton House and Friar’s Bush Graveyard are all hosting events, alongside the city’s libraries, galleries and museums, as the city embraces the festival feel and traditional music in communities across Belfast.
A festival across the whole city
One of the defining features of the Fleadh in Belfast is the scale of its fringe programme, with hundreds of events shaped by community participation and the city’s arts and cultural venues.
In east Belfast, highlights include Banana Block’s Joshua Burnside-curated musical showcase (Wednesday 5 August), as well as a special session from the pioneering members of Hearth at Bullhouse East (Thursday 6 August), celebrating the warmth and energy of the east Belfast’s growing trad scene.
The Hidden Dance Hall explores the city’s dance heritage (Sunday 2 August) and storytelling over coffee and cake (Saturday 8 August) add further opportunities for everyone to share in the event.
Across north Belfast, visitors can explore beyond the city centre with heritage tours, the North Block Night Market at Crumlin Road Gaol (Friday 7 August) and performances at the Duncairn and Caifé Ceoil at Áras Mhic Reachtain. Musicians from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria will bring their unique sounds to the Beyond Skin showcase at the Duncairn on Thursday 6 August, for an evening celebrating Persian, Kurdish and Celtic connections.
In south Belfast, there’s a full programme to enjoy at The Commons, alongside pop-up events in local alleyways and libraries, as the area welcomes campers staying at the official Fleadh campsite at Ormeau Park.
West Belfast will welcome the Fleadh with family fun days, a Super Sunday community celebration, and music sessions across venues including Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, Colin Glen Forest Park and St Gall’s GAC.
The curtain will fall on the city’s first Fleadh with an energetic performance from the 2026 Senior Céilí Band winners next Sunday 9 August on the main Gig Rig stage.
The hotly contested competition will be held in the Waterfront Hall earlier that evening, with the newly-crowned winners taking to the stage at City Hall to round off the event as All-Ireland champions.
For full details of what’s on at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, visit the official Fleadh website at fleadhcheoil.ie
For all the latest event information from Sunday 2 to Sunday 9 August, make sure to follow Fleadh Cheoil on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.