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Culture
Belfast hosted the Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture, for the first time from Sunday 2 August to Sunday 9 August 2026.
Qualifying competitors from all over the world showcased the very best of traditional music, song, dance and language in All-Ireland competitions. Over 800,000 people enjoyed the eight-day event which also included street performances, pub sessions and stage concerts.
We delivered the event in partnership with organisers, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and their local branch Ards CCÉ, as well as a range of city partners and other authorities.
During the Fleadh, some Belfast city centre streets and roads were closed for pedestrian movement and to allow street performances and activities to take place.
There will also be road closures as part of the takedown of the event infrastructure from 10 to 12 August.
These car parks are closed until Wednesday 12 August 2026:
Bins that were due to be collected on Monday 3, Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 should have been collected on Friday 31 July. We will have an extra collection on Tuesday 11 August to allow for these changes.
Our normal service will resume from week beginning Monday 17 August.
A dedicated community liaison officer and hotline are in place for residents living near to Ormeau Park who have any concerns about noise, litter, parking or other issues.
The hotline number is 073008 66444.
It is operating:
For information about the event, what’s on, accommodation and transport, visit the official Fleadh website, Fleadh Cheoil (link opens in new window).
The easiest ways to get into and around Belfast will be:
With road closures in place and limited parking, you should avoid driving into the city centre, where possible.
You can read more on Translink’s website (link opens in new window).
There will be three dedicated Park and Ride sites running outside Belfast city centre:
You can book these from Monday 6 July on Fleadh Cheoil’s website (link open in new window).
Not everyone can use public transport. Most city centre car parks will remain open and accessible throughout the event, for anyone who needs to drive.
To make a safe and enjoyable event for all, all roads and streets within Belfast city centre will be closed to vehicle traffic. Additional traffic and parking changes will also apply. These measures will help ensure safe pedestrian movement and allow street performances and activities to take place.
Arrangements may affect residents and businesses and we’ll make every effort to minimise disruption.
Road closures are in operation from 6am on Sunday 2 August to 5am on Monday 10 August 2026, with flexibility planned where possible during the early part of the week.
Our Accreditation and Logistics Hub in Duncrue Street will be open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, to arrange delivery access to premises inside the road closures.
During these road closures, a daily delivery window will be open between 4am and 8am to help with business and essential access. All vehicles must be out of the road closure area by 9am.
You can collect a delivery pass before or on the day of delivery from the Accreditation and Logistics Hub. We will have extra refrigeration and storage space available in the hub, if needed.
To get information on how to apply for a delivery access pass, email [email protected].
We will hold information sessions for suppliers and city centre businesses on Monday 6 July and Tuesday 7 July.
If you’re a business looking to maximise the opportunities Fleadh offers, you can find out more about:
Read more about opportunities for businesses
Maintaining a clean and welcoming environment is always important and a shared responsibility. Additional bins and cleaning services will be in place and we ask that businesses manage waste carefully.
We encourage visitors, residents and businesses to make use of the facilities provided and to follow any guidance issued.
During the summer, changes to resident bin collections will be implemented. We will add more information to our bins pages when it is available.
We are creating three official Fleadh campsites for visitors.
To read more about the campsite facilities, go to Fleadh Cheoil (link opens in new window).
Registration for volunteers closed on Friday 26 June 2026.
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