Belfast International Arts Festival

If you plan to visit the vibrant city of Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city, this autumn, you’ll not be disappointed by what’s on offer. One viral and always exciting event is the Belfast International Arts Festival, the city’s longest-running arts event. The Belfast Arts Festival will occur from 15 October to 3 November 2019.

If you’re a fan of art and culture or want to have fun and see incredible things, you’ll want to check out this festival. Returning for its 57th edition, visitors to the city can expect a lively atmosphere brought on by an incredible fusion of cutting-edge performances on the Belfast stage.

The Belfast International Arts Festival will host over 100 events around the city, including various dance performances, visual arts, music & film showcases, literature and guest talks. The event will also showcase the best of homegrown artists and performers and bring some talented people from around the world to the bright lights of Belfast!

It will surely be one of the most unmissable events of the year. It offers a fantastic, world-class arts and culture programme reflecting the city’s efforts to evolve into a recognised global creative hub.

Keep reading to learn more about the event’s history and the fantastic things you can expect to enjoy at the 57th edition of the Belfast International Arts Festival.

Dive into the History of the Belfast International Arts Festival

The long-running art festival was first established back in 1962 and was hosted by the renowned Queen’s University until 2015. Still, a new independent company was created and taken over to help deliver a new and exciting artistic vision for the art festival. It is hosted every October across many iconic and unique venues and locations to help showcase the beautiful city of Belfast.

The main goals behind creating the Belfast International Arts Festival were to help promote international art events in Northern Ireland and engage people within local communities and worldwide in the richness and diversity of contemporary art. 

The event helps create a unique environment where the audience can enjoy and participate in various inspiring and inclusive experiences from world artists, leaders, and thinkers.

The art festival continues to grow in popularity each year. It brings some new and innovative art performances to the city of Belfast, helping to turn the place into a much-visited cultural destination.

What to Expect at the Festival:

The 57th edition of the festival is sure to impress everyone. Its diverse range of events, from theatre performances to art instalments, will attract various people for a fun three weeks in Belfast City.

Theatre and Dance Highlights:

• From 8 October to 2 November, you can check out ‘The Playboy of the Western World’ at the iconic Lyric Theatre. This incredible raw masterpiece was created by John Millington Syne, a famous Irish writer, and directed by Oonagh Murphy. The play has been controversial since it first premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 1907 for its honest depiction, but it’s one to see.
• From 22 October to 23 October, ‘Forced Entertainment’, a Sheffield-based theatre company, will present their theatre performance of ‘Real Magic’ at The Mac Theatre. ‘Real Magic’ will take the audience on a comical and hallucinatory journey with a compelling virtuoso performance.
• ‘The Worst Cafe in the World’ by the Big Telly Theatre Company will be showcased at the Belfast Arts Festival. The performance has been described as “if reality TV had a lovechild with theatre, this is it.” It will surely be pure comedy gold that offers a unique approach to theatre that you won’t want to miss out on.
• ‘To Da Bone,’ presented by French art collective (LA) HORDE, will be live at the Grand Opera House from 25 October to 26th. It will explore youth culture through a high-energy dance and music performance filled with emotions and excitement.
• Chalk it Down, an Irish theatre production company, will showcase its performance of ‘Spliced’ from the 29th to the 30th of October at the Irish language centre, An Culturlann. This fascinating multi-disciplinary production explores the pressures of masculine identity, sports, and mental health. A post-show talk from writer and performer Timmy Creed will follow the show.

Music Highlights:

• The famous Northern Irish band Two Door Cinema Club will return to their native city for an unmissable performance at the Belfast Telegraph Building on 16 October. For anyone who’s not familiar with the band but is a fan of indie rock music, you’ll be sure to enjoy their live gig promoting their newest album, False Alarm.
• Cuban singer La Dame Blanche will return to Belfast to perform at the Belfast Empire Music Hall on 18 October. La Dame Blanche will surely deliver a potent mix of music, including hip-hop, cumbia, dance hall and reggae, that will make you want to get up and dance.
• Innovative Japanese sound artist ASUNA will showcase his work and offer an unforgettable listening experience at’ 100 Keyboards’ at the Mac Theatre from 17 October to 19 October. Asuna provides a unique musical performance that uses 100 battery-operated keyboards to generate an experimental sound for the audience, incorporating hip-hop and hardcore punk music styles.
• Darragh Morgan and Ruth McGinley from the Belfast Music Society will make their debut outing as a pair at the Belfast Arts Festival. On Sunday, 20 October, the talented musicians will perform a beautiful classical music showpiece with a solid Irish connection and folk song arrangements.
• Make sure to also check out Joshua Burnside, a Northern Irish experimental folk singer and songwriter, at the Belfast Empire Music Hall on 1 November. He’s an exciting up-and-coming artist with a powerful sound worth hearing live. His unique blend of Irish Folk is mixed with South American rhythms and Eastern European influences.

Visual Art Events Highlights:

• Make sure to visit the ‘As Many Reps as Possible’ sporting exhibition by the Naughton Gallery from 10 October to 1 December at Queens University. This is their third annual exhibition showcasing the unique relationship between sports and the world of arts. The exhibition will feature a variety of photographs, sculptures, illustrations, and videos created by a roster of talented artists who will ultimately help celebrate sporting culture.
• The Golden Thread Gallery in Northern Ireland will present David Sherry’s solo exhibition and book. It will be showcased at the Golden Thread Gallery from 12 October to 23 November. The exhibition will include a large-scale art sculpture, drawings, videos, and performances. It will provide visitors with an interactive experience and the signature humour David Sherry provides in his work.
• A new and exciting exhibition by the Irish Society of Stage and Screen Designers will showcase home and international designers and their collections through a virtual reality world experience in their studies with 360 visualisations.
• Around Belfast, over 250 artists will welcome the public to their studios for a glimpse into the creative process of creating their art pieces as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival. This offers people an unforgettable experience to see art come to life and unique artwork that has never been shown to the public before.

Talks and Ideas Highlights:

• Take part in the Cathedral Quarter Walking Tour if you are interested in exploring Belfast City through its unique cultural environment, led by knowledgeable tour guides who will fill you in on all the historical and cultural stories of the city along the way. This would also be great for locals who want to learn more about their capital city, including visiting popular spots such as St.Annes Cathedral, Writers Square, Custom House Square, Merchant Hotel, etc.
• On 17 October, ‘The Big Wee Ireland Tour’ event will offer visitors an opportunity to hear from famous Scottish poets Hugh McMillan and Magi Gibson for a night of interesting talks and lyrical mischief. The event will include many homegrown artists, including Neil Young, as he launches his poetry called ‘Shrapnel.’ The night promotes poetry and stories and shares cultural, social, and historical roots and influences.
• On Sunday, 2 November, the Ulster Museum will welcome Michael Rosen, a well-known writer, poet and performer, primarily known in the children’s book world, with a remarkable career spanning 50 years. The event is for all but may interest parents and children alike, as well as anybody enthusiastic about the art of stories and poetry, as Rosen will have plenty to share at this event.
• Do not miss the Octavia Poetry Collection at the Ulster Sports Club on 23 October. Octavia is a beautiful collection of poetry inspired by women of colour created by poet Rachel Long. The event will showcase the work of Amina Jama, Sumia Jaaman and, of course, Rachel Long.

Embrace Highlights:

• Experience a mesmerising aerial acrobatics performance by an all-female cast, Rhizome, created by French artist Chloe Moglia. The spectacular performance will incorporate raw strength and vulnerability with live music and special effects to help create a dreamlike journey filled with suspenseful moments in a contemporary piece of art.
• From 25 October to 26th, Ireland’s first all-island dance conference, ‘ Co-Motion,’ will be hosted at the Cresent Arts Festival. The event was created to bring dance practitioners, educators, and supporters together to discuss how they can promote and develop dance practices for working together. It will host a variety of interviews, panels, artist spotlights, and performances to engage in discussions about dance in Ireland. 

These are just some of the highlights you can expect to see at this year’s Belfast International Arts Festival. But there is a wealth of arts and culture that we haven’t mentioned, and you can check it out during the festival period this October in Northern Ireland’s capital city.  

The festival will provide locals and tourists with a new way of experiencing art through world-class performances, displays, and open discussions that will be fun, engaging, and diverse—just like the city itself. The Belfast Art Festival will inspire you through its eclectic mix of events that help showcase the country’s unbelievable talent.

Have you been to the Belfast International Arts Festival before? Or are you planning to check it out this year? Share with us in the comments below!