Belfast will be the host city for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026, which will take place from Sunday 2 August to Sunday 9 August 2026. Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (the Fleadh) is the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture.
Established in 1951, the event takes place in Ireland every August with qualifying performers from all over the world showcasing the very best of traditional music talent in all-Ireland competitions.
Other activities across the eight-day festival include:
- concerts
- street performances
- cultural activities
- big-name acts
- céilí bands
- pageants
- marching bands
- drama, and
- exhibitions.
The organising body for the Fleadh is Comhaltas – an international cultural movement committed to the promotion of Irish music, song and dance throughout Ireland and across the world. We submitted the bid to host the 2026 event in partnership with Ards CCÉ (Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann) – the Ardsbranch of Comhaltas.
This is only the second time the Fleadh has been held in Northern Ireland, having taken place in Derry~Londonderry in 2013 as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations.
This year, the event takes place in the Wexford from Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 August. Wexford also played host in 2024 with the event attracting more than 650,000 visitors and delivering an economic value of around €70 million (£58 million).
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 promises to be a momentous event for the city of Belfast.
We will start announcing details of the Fleadh programme after this year’s Wexford event.
For more information about the festival, visit fleadhcheoil.ie
