NEWS

Monday 2 November 2026 Global music superstar Shania Twain is set to headline Belfast’s Belsonic next summer, bringing her biggest hits to Ormeau Park on Sunday 27 June 2027. The five-time Grammy Award winner has announced eight major outdoor concerts across the UK and Ireland, with Belfast among the final stops on her summer tour. Fans hoping to secure tickets will not have long to wait, with general sale opening at 9am this Friday, 6 November, through Ticketmaster.ie. Belfa

Farmers’ Choir NI committee members celebrate the £19,600 funding Saturday 31 October 2026 Farmers’ Choir NI has been awarded £19,600 from The National Lottery Community Fund to strengthen friendships and bring farming and rural communities together through music and social activities. The funding will help the registered charity develop community networks, organise social events and support concerts, creating more opportunities for people across Northern Ireland to connect.

Friday 23 October 2026 Twenty years after Snow Patrol released one of Northern Ireland’s most successful albums, a special concert in Belfast will celebrate the music that helped propel the band to international fame. The Oh Yeah Music Centre will host a 20th anniversary celebration of Eyes Open on Friday 6 November, bringing together six artists to perform their own interpretations of songs from the landmark 2006 album. Taking place as part of Sound of Belfast 2026, the even

Seven Towers Pipe Band pictured outside the Congregational Church in Clonavon Terrace in 1927 following its formation in 1926. Tuesday 20 October 2026 One hundred years after its beginnings in Harryville, Seven Towers Pipe Band is inviting former members, familiar faces and new audiences to share a special evening of music in Ballymena. The band’s Centenary Concert will bring McNeillstown Pipe Band and Pure Blarney & Friends to The Braid Arts Theatre on Thursday 19 November,

Liz Steele, Culture & Heritage Tourism Manager at Tourism NI and Thomas McGarvey from the Department for the Economy pictured with representatives from Sing it Back Home, Harp by the Foyle, Hooley in the Hen House, Bodhrán sa Culturlann, Here’s to the Craic and Ceol, at Tourism NI’s launch of 10 new music experiences for visitors, which took place at Harrison Chambers of Distinction in Belfast Sunday 18 October 2026 From learning to play the Irish harp in County Londonderry t

Saturday 03 October 2026 Farmers’ Choir NI has been crowned Making Music UK Group of the Year 2026 after winning a public vote, bringing national recognition to a choir which has become an important source of friendship and connection for farming and rural communities. The cross-community choir, whose members travel to weekly rehearsals at Ballymena Academy, was selected from five groups shortlisted by a Making Music panel before receiving the most votes from the public. Maki

Patrick Kielty, host of the RTÉ The Late Late Show. (Image: Andres Poveda) Friday 02 October 2026 Ashley Campbell, Nathan Carter and Una Healy will join Patrick Kielty tonight as The Late Late Show’s Country Music Special returns with live performances, a Dolly Parton tribute and a surprise Hall of Fame induction. Viewers can watch on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player from 9.35pm tonight, Friday 2 October, with a surprise opening performance featuring some of Irish country music’s bigge

Friday 25 September 2026 Alex Warren, the chart-topping US singer behind global smash hit “Ordinary”, has announced a major Belfast show as part of his new UK and European outdoor tour for summer 2027. The Grammy-nominated artist will headline Belsonic on Monday 21 June 2027, with special guests still to be announced. Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday 2 October through Ticketmaster Ireland. Eight-date summer run across UK and Europe Belfast will be the second stop

Farmers’ Choir NI Committee Members attending NI Farming Awards at the Culloden Hotel More than 40 members of Farmers’ Choir NI are back rehearsing in Ballymena for a new season — and they already have plenty to sing about after earning recognition at both Northern Ireland and UK level. The cross-community choir, which brings together farmers, people working in agriculture and members of rural communities, has reached the final of the Making Music UK Group of the Year Award 2

Advertorial One of Ireland’s best-known voices is coming to Ballymena this autumn, with Tommy Fleming choosing the town as one of the first stops on his brand new Encore Tour. The acclaimed singer will take to the stage at Tullyglass Hotel on Thursday 1 October 2026, bringing his band and a new live show to local audiences as he looks forward to getting back in front of fans following what has been a turbulent few months. And there is more new music on the horizon, with Flemi

Superintendent Alistair Hagan urging festival-goers to prioritise their safety when attending outdoor music events Festival-goers heading to outdoor music events across Northern Ireland are being urged to plan their journey home, stay with friends and avoid illegal drugs as police intensify operations during the summer concert season. The Police Service of Northern Ireland says high-visibility patrols and stop-and-search activity will form part of its policing operation at ma

Glenarm Village Committee members (L-R) Robert Taggart, Linda Hylands, Hilary Cross, John Duggan, Frances Wilson, and Emer Furey. A celebration of books, art, local history, storytelling, film, poetry and live music will take over Glenarm next weekend as the village’s Arts & Literary Fayre returns following a successful inaugural event last year. Organised by Glenarm Village Committee, the Glenarm Arts & Literary Fayre (GALF) will run across Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August,

Amble and John Creedon in Creedon's Musical Atlas of Ireland 2026 (Episode 2) Music, memory and identity take centre stage this weekend as John Creedon returns to RTÉ One with a new series exploring the stories behind Ireland’s musical heritage. The broadcaster’s acclaimed documentary series, Creedon’s Musical Atlas of Ireland, begins on Sunday 2 August at 6.30pm, taking viewers on a journey across the country to discover how music has helped shape Irish identity through gene

Pictured at an event in the Great Hall, Parliament Buildings to mark Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026were the Assembly Speaker, Edwin Poots MLA with dancer Laila Hendrick and musicians Riley McAuley and Michael McErlane; Labhrás Ó Murchú, Director General of Comhaltas Ceóltóirí Eireann and Attracta Ní Bhrádaigh, President of Comhaltas Ceóltóirí Eireann. Traditional music and dance from across Northern Ireland took centre stage at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday as the Norther

Farmers’ Choir NI performing at their Spring Concert in the Braid Arts Centre Music, friendship and support for rural communities have helped make it another memorable year for Farmers’ Choir NI, with the group raising more than £5,000 for charities and Young Farmers’ Clubswhile preparing for a new season of concerts this autumn. The registered charity, which brings together members from farming communities across Northern Ireland, says rehearsals will resume in September fol

Glenhugh Flute Band Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to participate in or watch Twelfth demonstrations across Northern Ireland on Monday, July 13, as over 18 towns and cities host one of the largest annual cultural festivals in Europe. The traditional parades are taking place a day later than usual because July 12 falls on a Sunday this year. Thousands of Orangemen, Orangewomen and junior members from more than 1,000 lodges will be joined by approximately 600 marc

Alliance North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland has welcomed the announcement that Ballycastle will host the 2027 Ulster Fleadh, describing it as a landmark achievement that will deliver lasting cultural and economic benefits for the town and the wider Causeway Coast and Glens. The prestigious week-long festival is one of the largest celebrations of traditional Irish music, song, dance and language in the province and is expected to attract tens of thou

Broughshane village celebrating a previous year’s popular Mini Twelfth parade. (Photo: Brian Millar) Broughshane is set to welcome hundreds of spectators this week as one of the village’s best-known annual traditions returns with the Mini Twelfth and Arch Opening. The popular event, organised by Broughshane LOL 503, will take place on Wednesday evening, July 8, bringing marching bands and members of the Orange family together for a colourful parade through the heart of the vi

A group of musicians who took part in the previous Soundfest in Ballymena, as part of the Shared Island initiative between Waterford City & County Council and Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has secured around £128,000 in funding for a major new cross-border arts and culture programme that will focus on breathing new life into underused spaces in Larne and Carrickfergus while creating new opportunities for residents to take part in creat

A plan to introduce a drug-testing pilot at major gigs and festivals in Belfast has been effectively blocked by the Department of Health. A motion passed unanimously by Belfast City Council earlier this year called for drug-testing and harm-reduction facilities to be explored at council-owned venues hosting music festivals and large-scale events. The motion called on public bodies, including the Public Health Agency and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, alongside organisa