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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Belfast TradFest

Belfast TradFest welcomes world-class traditional musicians to Belfast each July.

Belfast TradFest is the pinnacle of world class traditional music concerts, fiery pub sessions & the fastest growing summer school of traditional music in Ireland.

26 July - 2 August 2026 Bringing the city to life with traditional music concerts, sessions, ceili’s, talks, masterclasses and free events.

07/10/2026

🔥 JUST OVER TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🔥

The Devil’s in the Dance Hall comes to the Ulster Hall presented by Belfast TradFest and Belfast International Arts Festival - a riotous night of trad, jazz, swing, sean nós, set-dancing and scandal!

🎶 Dance to the roaring sounds of The Gralton Big Band
💃 Learn the moves with Edwina Guckian
👞 Dress in your finest 1930s gear

Inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the dance halls once branded “the devil’s work”, this is a celebration of music, community and dance.

Dance Floor – £30 | Dancing experience
Balcony – £25 | Seated viewing

📅 Just over two weeks to go. Don’t miss it!

02/10/2026

BALCONY: SEATED SHOW TICKET - DEVIL’s IN THE DANCEHALL

Prefer to take in the spectacle from above?

Settle into your reserved seat in the Ulster Hall balcony and watch The Devil’s in the Dance Hall unfold beneath you.

Enjoy a sweeping view of the entire room as the Ulster Hall is transformed into a dazzling 1930s dance hall, alive with live music, swirling dancers and hundreds of people filling the floor below.

This ticket includes reserved, seated balcony viewing only. It does not include access to or participation in the dancing on the ground floor.

Balcony Seated Ticket: £25

Dance Floor Ticket: £30
Join the action on the floor. Includes the full show and participation in the dancing.

📆 Date: 22nd Oct
📍Venue: Ulster Hall
🎟️Ticket Link in bio 👆

Presented by Belfast International Arts Festival & Belfast TradFest and funded/supported by the Shared Island Cultural Cooperation Fund via the Shared Ireland Touring Scheme administered by the Arts Council in partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI).

23/09/2026

💃 THE DEVIL’S IN THE DANCE HALL 👹

What happens when dancing, music and gathering together become a threat?

Inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland’s rural dance halls, Edwina Guckian’s powerful, joyous performance brings the parish hall to life as a place of music, movement, learning, courtship and rebellion.

With spoken word, song and the roaring sounds of The Gralton Big Band, the boundary between stage and dance floor disappears — and you’re invited to dance the night away.

📍 Ulster Hall
📅 Thursday 22 October
🎟️ Part of Belfast International Arts Festival 2026

Presented in partnership with Belfast TradFest.

“The dance hall door is the gate of Hell…” 👹

11/09/2026

Supporting the next generation of traditional musicians!
The TG4 Gradam Ceoil Belfast City Council Bursary is all about recognising and supporting emerging musical talent, giving young traditional musicians the opportunity to develop their skills, create new work and take the next steps in their musical careers.

👏🏼This year’s recipients are Jack McGoldrick, Eimear Magee and Peadar Connor — three brilliant musicians who are each bringing their own sound, style and energy to the tradition. ✨

🎧💸 The bursary is more than just financial support — it’s an investment in musicians and in the future of Irish traditional music, helping artists to develop, experiment and continue building their careers.

And we’ll be celebrating all three this Sunday at Gradam Ceoil TG4 in UL, Limerick! 🎶

Come along and celebrate the incredible musicians shaping the future of traditional music! 💚

09/09/2026

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the great Paddy Keenan, one of the true giants of Irish traditional music.

It was an enormous privilege to welcome Paddy to Belfast TradFest in February 2024, when The Bothy Band played their first public concert in Ireland since 1979. It was an extraordinary and historic night, and one we will treasure all the more now.

Paddy’s music, particularly his extraordinary uilleann piping, inspired generations and leaves an immense legacy.

Our thoughts are with Paddy’s family, friends, fellow musicians and all who loved him at this very sad time.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

09/09/2026

Belfast TradFest joined artists and arts organisations from across NI at Stormont yesterday to demand fair funding and the long-overdue delivery of an arts policy.

The figures are stark.

Arts investment here is just £5.07 per person, compared with £20.73 in Scotland and around £22 in the Republic of Ireland. Arts funding in Northern Ireland has fallen by more than 40% since 2011.

To put that in perspective:

The entire core arts infrastructure of NI is being supported with a level of public investment comparable in scale to the funding received by a single major theatre in Dublin!

That should stop us in our tracks.

Our executive still has no government arts policy. The SDLP is currently the only party with a dedicated arts policy.

This shouldn’t be party political. Every party should have an arts policy. Every party should be demanding proper investment.

So, in advance of the upcoming elections, we’re asking our artists, audiences, students, tutors and the wider Belfast TradFest family to contact your local MLAs.

- Ask them where they stand.

- Ask them what their party’s policy for the arts is.

- Ask them what are they willing to do to support fair, sustainable funding for artists and arts organisations in Northern Ireland.

Our sector delivers for our people every day. It’s time our politicians delivered for the arts.

04/09/2026

🎻 Remembering Seán Maguire 🎻

Born and reared in Belfast, Seán Maguire grew up surrounded by music, beginning his fiddle journey under the guidance of George Vincent and May Nesbitt before becoming one of the most influential traditional fiddle players of his generation.🎶

At Belfast TradFest, his life and lasting legacy were celebrated through a special night of music — honouring a Belfast musician whose distinctive sound and approach continue to inspire traditional musicians today.

Lyric Belfast

27/08/2026

A massive thank you to Ceathrú Cheoil na bhFál for their incredible donation ahead of our summer school of traditional music this year!

We want to give a special shout-out to Louise agus Máire, and everyone at the Ceathrú Cheoil na bhFál, for their amazing generosity. Thanks to them, we were able to gift a stunning Sheeran by Lowden guitar to a very promising young player.

We were absolutely delighted to present the guitar to Finian Dunne. Finian is a fantastic talent, and it's brilliant to see this beautiful instrument go to such a well-deserving home.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh! 🎸🎶

21/08/2026

🎻 Belfast TradFest on RTÉ Nationwide!

Great to see Belfast TradFest featured on RTÉ Nationwide as part of its programme celebrating Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast.

Our Artistic Director Dónal O’Connor chatted with Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh about the growth of traditional music in Belfast and the remarkable journey the city’s traditional music community has been on.

Wonderful contributions too from Neil Martin and Shona McCarthy, reflecting on Belfast’s musical and cultural story.

It was particularly special to see recognition of the work Belfast TradFest has been doing since 2016 to build audiences, increase participation and create a thriving, cross-cultural traditional music scene in the city.

We’re immensely proud to have played our part in that story and to see traditional music flourishing in Belfast. 💛🎶

Congratulations also to Ards CCÉ & Belfast City Council on featuring and their tremendous achievement.

Watch the full RTÉ Nationwide programme on RTÉ Player. https://www.rte.ie/player/series/nationwide/SI0000001172?epguid=IH10016303-26-0086

Arts Council of Northern Ireland | Belfast City Council | Maritime Mile | Discover Northern Ireland | Visit Belfast | Ulster University | Cathedral Quarter Belfast | Linen Quarter Belfast One | Harp Ireland | Dunville's Irish Wh***ey |

Address

University Street
Belfast
BT71NH

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.belfasttradfest.com/

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