Belfast Entertainment

After a busy day of sightseeing, you could either be ready for a quiet evening in a pleasant restaurant or charged for a night on the tiles, ready to knock back a few drinks and strut your stuff until the early hours. Whatever your persuasion, you’ll be in good company among the city’s residents, who like a good night out as much as those of any European capital. The city answers the demand with a fine selection of venues that are guaranteed to please everybody, irrespective of their background.

Nightlife

Belfast offers a thriving night scene with venues of every variety, making it the ideal place for both youthful and more senior visitors. For the young, the city centre is host to a large selection of trendy drinking establishments, with names such as Bar 12, Bar Bacca and The Apartments regularly topping the lists of favourite haunts.

Visitors looking to dance the night away or nod their heads appreciatively in a dark corner will find no shortage of nightclubs, with as many aimed at the indie crowd as the mainstream, with names like Milk and M-Club among the most popular. For older visitors, there are quieter pubs and a good selection of restaurants where a more sedate evening can be spent.

Theatre and music

Belfast has a number of venues offering staged productions with a variety of styles and genres covered. At the Grand Opera House, you’ll find everything from pantomime to opera; at the Old Museum Arts Centre, you’ll find modern productions and fringe theatre; at the Lyric Theatre, there are international productions and at the Belfast Civic Arts Theatre, there are comedy and popular shows. For a spot of live music, try the Ulster Hall, which hosts everything from classical to rock music performances, while at the King Hall, you might be lucky to catch some superstars.

Festivals

There are a number of annual summer festivals that are unique to the city, with highlights including: 

• The Belfast Film Festival generally runs for nine days and sees screenings of international movies at a variety of venues across the city (March).
• Opera in the Park is held at the spectacular Botanic Gardens and is a free event that sees local and national performers showcase their talents in the genre of opera music (July).
• The Belfast Carnival Parade starts at Conway street and finishes in Falls Park, with much merriment en route and continuing all day at the park (August).
• The All Ireland Corporate Games are held in Belfast towards the end of September, a multi-sport festival that includes events in soccer, athletics, hockey, golf and dragon boat racing (September).