Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 kicks off with musical celebration in Belfast

By Claudia Savage, Press Association

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 has officially opened in Belfast kicking off a week of song, dance and culture as part of the world’s largest celebration of traditional Irish music.

More than 200 events and 180 traditional music competitions are taking place across venues, pubs, and streets throughout the week-long celebration from August 2nd-9th.

It is the first time the annual music festival has been held in Belfast and only the second time it has been held in Northern Ireland, after being hosted in Derry in 2013.

The 2026 event is set to be one of the most culturally diverse in its history, with cross-community participation and a celebration of traditions from across Northern Ireland and beyond.

The opening event at Fleadh 2026 will include a special collaborative performance from host branch, Ards CCÉ, South Asian Dance Academy, Belfast Bands Forum, as well as an array of highland pipers and champion Irish dancers led by Riverdance lead, Lauren Smyth.

They will play at the Gig Rig set up outside City Hall, where musicians and dancers will play from 11am to 11pm every day of the week.

On Sunday the outdoor stage will also welcome over 100 children from primary and secondary schools across North Down and Belfast as part of a schools choir project, continuing to the evening with Goitse, Blackwater Céilí Band and accordion virtuoso Sharon Shannon and her Big Band.

Musicians and dancers from across the world flock to the host city with the aim to compete in the All-Ireland Fleadh music competition with hopefuls from Ireland qualifying from county and provincial Fleadhs to earn their place.

But, many others come for music workshops as well as open music sessions that will emerge in a variety of venues and spaces across the city.