http://belfastcity.gov.uk/belfastmusic

Belfast Music, Belfast (2026)

02/06/2026

PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders programme is now open for applications, offering artists, bands, ensembles, promoters & presenters in Northern Ireland the chance to access funding of up to £20,000 for ambitious cross-border new music projects.

Delivered in partnership with Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council of Ireland / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, the programme supports the creation, touring and promotion of innovative, high-quality new music across NI, as well as the Republic of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

For NI's music community, this is a significant opportunity to build meaningful partnerships across these islands, by reaching wider audiences and developing work with the potential for national and international profile.

Projects can include new commissions, recordings and repeat performances of music written in the past five years, with support available for up to 8-10 projects that demonstrate strong collaboration, public engagement and long-term partnership potential.

Applications close on June 30th.

Find out more and apply via PRS Foundation:

https://prsfoundation.com/funding-support/funding-for-organisations/beyond-borders/

26/05/2026

Two of NI’s sharpest music creatives are running a free evening of workshops at Oh Yeah Centre on Tuesday 9th June, and between them they know a thing or two about a thing or two!

As part of Belfast Learning Festival 2026, Volume Control Enhanced brings together tour photography, videography, music journalism and content creation: all under one roof, for all levels. 📸

Ciara McMullan leads the photography & videography side. Almost twenty years in the industry, the last four spent as Tom Odell's official tour photographer and videographer across Europe and the US, including support runs with Billie Eilish and The Lumineers. Closer to home she's shot Output, Stendhal, Sound of Belfast, Belfast Pride and Outburst, plus freelance work with BBC 6 Music, Radio 2 and Radio Ulster. Runner-up Tour Photographer of the Year at the Karma Awards, she knows the craft inside out.

Dylan Murphy takes the journalism and content creation strand. Lisburn-born, former editor of District Magazine for five years, where he interviewed Fred Again.., The Streets, JPEGMAFIA and plenty more. He runs his own platform and podcast Mabfield, has made BBC audio documentaries on Irish hip hop and drill, hosted 'I Was There' on iconic Irish gigs, and now curates lineups as Culture Manager at The Tenth Man. Written for The Face, featured in Dazed: a serious student of the culture.

Tuesday 9th June, 5-7pm, Oh Yeah Centre. Free, 18+, very limited spaces. Reserve now:

https://www.ohyeahbelfast.com/events/s2fhysx8hx8kt5wm3agxd8xylw007y

26/05/2026

One of the biggest weekends in the Belfast music calendar lands this weekend 🌞

On Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May, AVA Festival returns to the Titanic Slipways for its twelfth edition. Twelve years deep and the festival still hits with that same electric energy - only bigger.

This year brings an expanded site, five programmed stages, new food concepts (including a brand new pop-up dining restaurant, IBILE, showcasing contemporary West African cuisine), and a programme spanning house, techno, trance, DnB, hip-hop, post-punk, tradtronic and everything in between.

The lineup is genuinely stacked. Friday throws down with KETTAMA, ¥ØUUK€¥UK1MATUK€ ¥UK1MAT UK€¥UK1MATU, Honey Dijon, Chloé Caillet, Blawan, Calibre, Partiboi69 and Belfast's own Caoimhe and Derv. Saturday goes even harder with KNEECAP, Annie Mac, Interplanetary Criminal, Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew, Or:la, Evian Christ, MPH and a Yard rolling deep with Cormac, Takuya Nakamura, Twitch and Inside Moves.

Five stages, two days, the city centre on one side and the docklands on the other. There's nowhere quite like it.

Doors open 1pm both days, last entry 7pm Friday and 6pm Saturday, with the free talks programme running Thursday 28th at The MAC.

Final tickets are clinging on. If you've been waiting, don't... this is one you'll be gutted to miss.

https://avafestival.com/tickets/

22/05/2026

Big news for the future of traditional music on the island! The Duncairn has just announced the 2026 recipients of the Gradam Ceoil TG4 Traditional Music Bursary, supported by Belfast City Council and TG4.

Now in its fifth and final year, the scheme has become one of the most meaningful investments in young trad musicians in the country. This year’s three recipients are all exceptional artists shaping where the tradition goes next:

🎻 𝐄𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐞
Mayobridge-born fiddle player and singer steeped in the music since childhood. A Cloughmór Céilí Band member, recent Ulster Singing Scór Champion and the force behind ‘Singing Threads’, her interdisciplinary project unearthing the songs of Ulster’s linen mills.

🎼 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐫
22-year-old multi-instrumentalist and composer from Ballycastle, fresh from launching his debut EP. Drawing on influences from Björk to Ryuichi Sakamoto, he weaves non-traditional harmony and texture into traditional form — ethereal one moment, driving the next.

🎸 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐜𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤
Co. Down guitarist with a growing reputation for one of the most distinctive harmonic voices in the tradition. Has played everywhere from the Great Wall of China to sessions across Belfast, and studied with leading lights including Ryan Molloy and Conal O’Kane.

Each artist receives a £3,000 bursary alongside mentoring and performance opportunities, as well as long-term support through The Duncairn’s wider network.

The announcement lands at a huge moment for trad in the city, with Belfast preparing to host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026, the energy around the artform has never been higher. Schemes like this are exactly what keeps the scene thriving long after the Fleadh stages come down.

Congratulations to all three 👏

21/05/2026

Some of the very best artists in Belfast and across NI are coming together for a brand new all-ages showcase at the Crescent Arts Centre this June.

Hosted by Chordblossom and proudly supported by Belfast City Council’s Teenage Kicks programme, the debut edition of The Summer Assembly lands on Saturday 20th June 2026, bringing five of the country’s most exciting acts to one stage for an afternoon of live music in the heart of the city.

The line-up features Becky McNeice, Cora Harkin, Madams Last Discovery, Penny’s Band and Polar Bolero: a serious, genre-spanning snapshot of where NI music is right now and where it’s heading next.

Doors 1pm. Tickets are £5 for under 18s, £10 for adults, £15 family - on sale now.

https://chordblossom.sumupstore.com/product/the-summer-assembly-saturday-20th-june-2026

21/05/2026

Niall Kennedy is one of the most respected figures in the NI music scene. From fronting Belfast alt-indie legends Panama Kings to spending the last 15 years as guitarist in North Coast post-rock heavyweights And So I Watch You From Afar, his fingerprint on the scene is considerable and increasingly eclectic.

That much is crystal clear on his new solo project, Big Sun. A masterfully shapeshifting project, this is prismatic music: deeply rewarding, with an ecstatic quality that’s very much his own.

Built across years of stolen hours on laptops in vans and tour buses , Big Sun channels the same relentless energy as ASIWYFA but takes it somewhere entirely different: breakbeats, basslines, granular textures and synths that open up like a sunrise over a sprinter’s dashboard.

First single ‘Big Arty’ is upbeat and irrepressibly joyful, with a break that gives the euphoria somewhere to breathe. Named after his biggest inspiration - his dad - it sounds exactly like that should. ‘Projektor’ follows on 5th June: wistful and anchored by a guitar motif years in the making.

The six-track debut lands 19th June on limited-edition vinyl and all digital platforms; an ode to life on the road that sits somewhere between the cinematic and the dancefloor. Two decades of musical obsession finding a new outlet. Live debut the same night at a secret East Belfast venue - keep them peeled.

An artist levelling up once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veag8FHW7vA

19/05/2026

A really worthwhile free music industry event lands at the Oh Yeah Music Centre tomorrow evening, Wednesday, 20th May, with AIM Ireland, IMRO and RAAP coming together for a special networking roadshow.

Running from 6.30-8.30pm, Making The Connection will feature a panel discussion, audience Q&A and space to meet others working across music in Belfast and beyond.

Speakers include Colm Hanley (AIM Ireland), Danny Carroll (IMRO) and Aaron Casey (RAAP).

Whether you’re releasing music or trying to better understand how the industry works, this is a very good room to be in 🎶

15/05/2026

Last chance to get yourself sorted for this one tomorrow!

A massive all-day fundraiser in support of An Stiúideo Rúnda takes over Belfast on Saturday 16th May, shining a proper light on the sheer talent and community driving hip-hop and rap across our UNESCO City of Music.

Things kick off at The Barge from 1pm-5pm with a free daytime programme featuring a Q&A artist development panel, networking event, pop-up vendors and open mic sessions.

Then from 6pm ‘til late, the action moves to Tom’s Lounge at Lavery’s for a stacked live bill featuring Séadna, Don Chi, Quinncidental, The Craic Project, Homegrown (full band) and headliner Leo Miyagee, plus DJ sets from Elixir, vendors, raffles and more throughout the night. Hosted by Goujon Raps.

A brilliant showcase of what’s happening right now in Belfast hip-hop.

Free tickets: https://shorturl.at/nvIg0

13/05/2026

The Listening Room returns on Friday 23 May, this time bringing its intimate, slow-burn magic to Jukō.

Hosted by Art and Wellbeing Belfast, the night has become a vital mainstay in our UNESCO City of Music, moving between spaces across the city while keeping the focus on deep listening and genuine connection.

This next edition brings together acclaimed NI artist Garrett Laurie, fresh from the release of his stellar new single 'For A While', Belfast/Comber indie-folk singer-songwriter Chris Barry, and the brilliant Shadé, singer, live performer & curator of The Listening Room.

Expect soul and folk, poetry and storytelling in a stripped-back setting, right in the heart of the city.

Tickets: https://shorturl.at/uXAWX

13/05/2026

Belfast TradFest Summer School is back this July and there are loads of beginner-friendly masterclasses for anyone keen to give trad music or dance a go 🪕

From 27-31 July, you can try tin whistle, bodhrán, bagpipes, sean nós dancing, set dancing, traditional singing and amhránaíocht, with no experience needed and classes for both adults and kids.

A lovely way to get stuck in and learn from brilliant tutors this summer. Full info:

https://www.belfasttraditionalmusic.com/music-masterclasses

Belfast Music

02/06/2026

26/05/2026

26/05/2026

22/05/2026

21/05/2026

21/05/2026

19/05/2026

15/05/2026

13/05/2026

13/05/2026

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