From world premieres and acclaimed international musicians to bold new voices and an all-new strand of immersive arts programming, Belfast International Arts Festival returns from 14 October to 8 November for its 64th edition with an ambitious programme that will animate more than 30 venues across the city.
A truly international affair, this year’s programme will welcome artists from 19 countries, alongside an exceptional range of work created here in Northern Ireland by new and established voices.
The festival’s new immersive arts strand takes form as a takeover of Studio Ulster. Highlights include Lost Communications: Underwater, a psychedelic audiovisual descent into a world that is simultaneously alien and home, and TAKKUUK, an extraordinary immersive journey into the Arctic, with infrared cinematography and a hypnotic BICEP score.
Rory Friers, the festival’s 2026 artist-in-residence, presents an immersive installation, HOME, with a scrapbook of voice, memories and shared experiences of residents and staff at Glendun care home in Cushendun. Friers will also create an ambitious one-night only performance at The MAC alongside award-winning composer and pianist Michael Keeney, Arco String Quartet, and a variety of special guests.
