Belfast expects 800,000 visitors for week-long Fleadh celebration of Irish culture

Performers at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026, which 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. Picture date: Sunday August 2, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Oliver McVeigh/PA Wire

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 is a celebration of the “universality” of music, President Catherine Connolly has said at its opening ceremony in Belfast.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill told the hundreds gathered outside City Hall that the Fleadh is for all “who call this place home”, while deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said “culture need not divide us” as she invited visitors “to listen, to learn, and to discover”.