Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2026: What’s On?

By Emma Ferguson

Tired of spending your nights listening to Killeagh in the Dirty Onion? Cathedral Quarter’s Annual Arts Festival is back for its 26^th year, offering a star-studded lineup with everything from music-themed walking tours, gigs, live interviews and even a night market. The festival kicks off on 29^th April and lasts until 10^th May, with a wide range of events taking place across the city. Having boasted names such as Patti Smith and Sinead O’Connor in previous years, it’s always a highlight of the cultural calendar in Belfast, with something for everyone to enjoy.

This year at CQAF, Louis Theroux ditches the manosphere to take the hot seat, as BAFTA-nominated Belfast director Kathryn Ferguson joins the journalist for a night of casual conversation on April 30^th. With a host of documentaries and interviews with everyone from pop stars and politicians to prisoners and porn stars, Theroux remains one of journalism’s greats. Through his candid interview style, Theroux often earns honesty rather than defensiveness from controversial figures. Now he’s in Belfast on the opposite side of the microphone, fresh off the bat of his latest documentary, Into the Manosphere and ready for a night of easy entertainment with Ferguson, taking place in the Assembly Buildings Conference Centre.

Across the festival, a plethora of talented musicians will take to stages across the city. Madra Salach are rocketing through the Irish music scene with a folk-alternative fusion that blends heavy distortion with Pogues-style trad. With a sold-out tour, the Dublin natives will play a sold-out gig at The Black Box on Friday, 1^st May as part of this year’s CQAF. Already boasting mammoth songs like “The Man Who Seeks Pleasure”, Madra Salach are surely one of the most unique upcoming bands in Ireland – this isn’t a night to be missed.

Death in Vegas play the Mandela Hall for their first gig in Belfast in over a decade, bringing echoes of rock stalwarts like Iggy Pop to the festival. The festival will also pay homage to some of music’s greatest names, with tributes to Edith Piaf, Neil Young and the Fugees. If gigs aren’t for you, there are also two walking tours centred around the rich musical history in which Belfast is steeped.

Aside from music, the festival encompasses a fusion of visual arts – think film, photography exhibitions and art galleries. Sharon Kelly articulates female experiences of memory and intimacy through her work ‘Disposal of Fullness’, whilst Pedro Donald’s collection ‘Transience’ encompasses 30 years of work from local artists. Hannah Casey-Brogan’s ‘larmhaireacht’ captures the silent hours of the early morning through a series of watercolour paintings.

Theatre productions range from a comedic adaptation of Back to the Future to a one-man Hamlet. Brenda Winter Palmer’s ‘The Turbulent Tale of Typhoid Mary’ will be read in McConnell’s Distillery in Crumlin Road Gaol, with whiskey served before the show. From comedy to Irish lore, there’s a show for everyone across a host of amazing venues.

The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s are working with the festival this year to produce an evening of celebration for the poetry of Derek Mahon, alongside Stephen Rea and poet Stephen Sexton. Colin Graham will be hosting a Q&A on ‘Sensation’ and discussing his satirical powerhouse ‘I am the border, so I am’, which tackles the realities of the Irish border.

If all of this doesn’t sound like enough, CQAF is bringing a night market to one of Belfast’s most historic locations – Crumlin Road Gaol. With street food, vintage clothing pop-ups, local art and live music, the market celebrates the ancient Celtic festival of “Bealtaine”, which marks the beginning of the summer.

This doesn’t even scratch the surface of the smorgasbord of events on offer at this year’s CQAF; John Robb (first to interview Nirvana and the man who discovered the Stone Roses) talks all things punk, Robert Finlay plays Empire Music Hall and South Korean band Inaekkum take Ulster Sports Club. There’s truly something for everyone to enjoy, so don’t miss out on tickets!