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Artist of the Month, September 2025 – Gerry Gleason
1st September, 2025
What's on in the Arts
12th September, 2025
From theatre performances, to concerts, exhibitions and more, here's your guide to what's on in the Arts....
Bounce Festival: Northern Ireland’s only disability arts festival, Bounce, returns this autumn with a bold new theme – ‘Not Just…’ – and its most ambitious programme to date, running from 2–5 October 2025 in Belfast and Derry-Londonderry. Festival Highlights Across the Four Days Include:
• Not Just BS (Breakfast Symposium) will be held on consecutive days in both Belfast and Derry-Londonderry. These networking and panel events feature some of the leading artists and performers exploring the importance of disability representation, intersectionality, and inclusion in the arts.
• Eugene McPeake will perform a blend of folk, blues, jazz and original compositions, at the Black Box in Belfast. His music is paired with a poetic short film to create a layered storytelling experience rooted in place, memory, and imagination.
• Still Not Your Pity Party! At The Playhouse in Derry – Queer, d/Deaf, and disabled performers take the mic in this high-energy cabaret challenging pity narratives with pride, power, and unapologetic humour.
• Fócloir Faoi Mhíchumas / Disability Dictionary at the Duncairn Centre in Belfast with Billí Mills & Soso Ní Cheallaigh exploring disability and Gaeilge through words, movement, and collective imagination. No prior Irish or arts experience required.
• Tales from the Mother at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast - acclaimed dancers Helen Hall and Linda Fearon collaborate in this raw and intimate performance about motherhood, loss, and shared strength, told through movement and music.
• Out of the Box comedy at the Black Box with Ross Mitchell and a stellar lineup of disabled and neurodivergent comedians delivering big laughs and razor-sharp observations in a night that refuses to play it safe.
Tickets and full schedule are available at: https://universityofatypical.o...
Belfast International Arts Festival: Belfast International Arts Festival (BIAF) returns to venues throughout Belfast from 14 October – 9 November with a new season of contemporary arts and culture featuring the very best international and homegrown artists from the worlds of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, literature, and film. Highlights include:
• Our Voice Together Now is a unique dance exchange between Belfast, Cairo, and Ramallah
• Future Parade is a new Shared Island creative youth project supported by four leading arts organisations: Macnas, BIAF, EastSide Arts, and Féile an Phobail
• The festival’s International Showcase, a three-day event spotlighting the best theatre and performing arts from across Northern Ireland
• From 24-25 October, Soho Theatre will present My English Persian Kitchen at the Lyric Theatre.
• The festival will also premiere a new Ulster Orchestra co-commission from Michael Gallen at the Ulster Hall on 24 October.
For more information, to view the full programme, or to book tickets, visit www.belfastinternationalartsfe...
City of Derry International Choir Festival: The City of Derry International Choir Festival is back for its 13th edition, promising a dazzling celebration of vocal artistry from October 22 to 26. With over 100 choirs jetting in from Estonia, France, Nigeria, the Philippines, and across Ireland and the UK, the city is set to become a global stage for five spectacular days of music, competition, and community. More programme announcements are expected in the coming weeks. To stay tuned, https://derrychoirfest.com/
Culture Night: It's official - Culture Night will be back in Belfast on Friday 19 September, with a fresh new look and an amazing line-up of events across the city. Residents and visitors are invited to free pop-up activities and drop-in events taking place at venues from 4pm to 10pm, as part of Culture Night celebrations across Ireland. This year’s event – the first since 2021 – is funded by Belfast City Council, with additional support from Linen Quarter and Cathedral Quarter BIDs.
The result is a programme of more than 100 family-friendly events, happenings, workshops, performances and exhibitions, reaching into every corner of the city and across Belfast city centre. A full timetable of activities is available at culturenight.ie/belfast
Lyric Theatre: presents:
• 4-13 Sep, Come From Away
• 17-20 Sep, The Snapper by Roddy Doyle
• 24 Sep – 12 Oct, Dear Arabella by Marie Jones
• 2-4 Oct, The Pitch
• 8-10 Oct, The Acardia
• 21-Oct-15 Nov, Denouement
• 24-25 Oct, My Persian Kitchen
• 29 Oct – 9 Nov, Faust-ish
View all events at www.lyrictheatre.co.uk
Big Telly Theatre Company: presents Faust-ish, 29 Oct – 9 Nov at the Lyric Theatre as part of this year’s Belfast International Arts Festival. Faust-ish, a new play by Nicola McCartney and mavericks Big Telly…a story both wild and strange with delicious shivers, about a woman who becomes a distraction, falls from grace and deals with the devil in the dead of night in a desolate place….Where bargains have legs and pacts have teeth, a fever dream of otherworldly humdrummerie, beautiful theatre and solid craic. Visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk
Tinderbox Theatre Company: presents The Upside Down House, 22 Oct-2 Nov at The MAC. Heartfelt, hilarious, and wildly imaginative, The Upside-Down House is a time-bending story of love, memory, and learning to letting go. Visit https://themaclive.com/event/t...
Bruiser Theatre Company: presents, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs 16-28 Oct at the MAC. Based on the book by Doctor Who’s Tom Baker, this madly hilarious, frenetic scream of a show, featuring shark-mauling sunbathers, combustible vicars and even waltzing rats, is a mesmerising masterpiece that tells the gloriously grisly tale of one scoundrel’s attempt at infamy. Visit www.themaclive.com
Grand Opera House: presents an exciting series with highlights including,
• Follies presented by Northern Ireland Opera, 13-20 Sep
• An Audience with Nigel Owens, 22 Sep
• Rob Beckett, 24 Sep
• Dara Ó Briain, 25-27 Sep
• The Shawshank Redemption, 30 Sep – 4 Oct
• Under the Lights By c21 Theatre Company and Maria Connolly, 9-11 Oct
• Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts. A must-see for fans of detective stories and thrillers, 14-18 Oct
• Ottilie. The international premiere of a new one woman show based on the life of Northern Irish blues singer Ottilie Patterson. Part of this year’s Belfast International Arts Festival, 15-24 Oct
• Martin Hayes Trio, Belfast International Arts Festival, 22 Oct
• Blood Brothers, the multi-award winning musical returns to Belfast, 28 Oct – 8 Nov
For tickets and to view the full programme please visit www.goh.co.uk
The Playhouse in Derry-Londonderry: presents
• Culture Night, Patch and Ply, 19 Sep
• Paddy - The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong, 20 Sep
• The Spanking Goddess and Other Discarded Tales, 27 Sep
• BOUNCE FESTIVAL - Not Just BS (Breakfast Symposium), 2nd Oct
• BOUNCE FESTIVAL -(W)right Now, 2 Oct
• BOUNCE FESTIVAL - Still Not Your Pity Party! 2 Oct
• BOUNCE FESTIVAL - Re-collections by Justine Scoltock, 2-4 Oct
• Not On Our Watch, 11 Oct, Produced by Kabosh with support from Unite The Union.
• Trawled, 16 Oct
• Christine Bovill - Piaf Revisited, 19 Oct
For all this and more visit www.derryplayhouse.co.uk
Linen Hall Library: the Linen Hall Library is a truly unique institution. Founded in 1788, it is the oldest library in Belfast. The library is free for all to enter and enjoy. The Linen Hall Library offers a year-round programme of arts and cultural events featuring authors, academics, historians, performers, and much more. To view the full events programme at this wonderful library visit www.linenhall.com
Millennium Forum Derry-Londonderry: presents music, comedy, theatre and more with highlights including:
• Ulster Orchestra: Storm and Drama, 13 Sep
• Deirdre O’Kane, 13 Sep
• ELO Tribute Concert, 18 Sep
• Stage Beyond Theatre Company: Access All Areas, 22-23 Sep
• Rob Beckett, 25 Sep
• The Blindboy Podcast, 27 Sep
• The Bootleg Beatles, 28 Sep
• Dylan Moran, 11 Oct
The Millennium Form also has a number of regular accessible events including:
• Act Your Age, Age Friendly Drama Group – 2 sessions a month
• Moves & Melodies, age friendly song and dance workshop – monthly event
• Dementia Friendly Tea Dance – monthly event
• Energy of Light 15+ Disco – monthly disco
• Sensory Musical Theatre – weekly event
View all events at www.millenniumforum.co.uk
THE MAC: presents a fantastic programme of theatre, comedy music and talks with highlights including:
• Art on the Floor – a Northern Soul Fundraiser, 13 Sep
• Culture Night at The MAC, 19 Sep. Celebrate Culture Night with the MAC for an evening full of fun! Explore
o Imagination Station – Culture Night Special | 5-7pm
o From Grenfell to Belfast: Race, Poverty, and the Politics of Housing | 6.30pm-8pm
o A Night of Arabian Dreams in Belfast | 7-8pm
o Immersif music by SeefinTime | 8-10pm
o Grenfell | Until 8.15pm
o The State of Belfast | Until 10pm
o Hearsay at Point Zero | 10pm
• Joel M – Your Friendly Neighbourhood Magician, 26 Sep
• Imagination Station: Celebrate International Astronomy day, 27 Sep. During this free family workshop join the MAC to create your own telescope to find the stars.
• National Poetry Day, 4 Oct, ages 7-11, Come and help the MAC celebrate National Poetry Day with an Arabic 'Flash' poetry called ‘WamDa’.
• The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Bruiser Theatre Company, 16-28 Oct
• The Upside Down House by Tinderbox Theatre Company, 22 Oct – 2 Nov
For all this and more visit www.themaclive.com
Crescent Arts Centre: presents a series of language, visual arts, craft, music, dance classes, and more plus workshops and events. Visit www.crescentarts.org for details.
NI Mental Health Festival / Poetry in the Park: On the 13th of September 2025 the Northern Ireland Mental Health Festival welcomes all ages to come explore Crescent Gardens Park and discover the positive power of poetry and parks! With family fun activities, workshops, and a poetry reading session, we are sure this day will leave you inspired. You must book on to workshops, please find more info at www.nimhaf.org
Seamus Heaney HomePlace: has launched their Sep-Dec programme for 2025. Highlights include:
• Saturday 13th September at 11am, Workshop: Finding New Voices For Your Writing With Mícheál McCann
• Saturday 13th September at 2pm, Femina Culpa With Milena Williamson, Linda McKenna, Emma McKervey and Kelly Creighton
• Friday 19th September at 7.30pm, Vona Groarke In Conversation With Susannah Dickey
• Friday 26th September at 7.30pm, Powerstone Entertainment and Alchemy Theatre, Paris present: Both Sides. An original play by Jane Coyle, inspired by the writing of Samuel Beckett. Directed by Nathalie Allison.
More information at - https://seamusheaneyhome.com/u...
Strand Arts Centre:
• Silver Screenings at Belmont Bowling Club, every Thursday at 2pm. Silver Screenings is a great opportunity not just to see a movie classic, but also for people to meet and interact, and enjoy a trip down memory lane. Films are chosen with seniors in mind but open to anyone who loves a classic movie! Tickets are £4 and include free tea, coffee and biscuits.
To view the films that are showing visit www.strandartscentre.com
Northern Ireland Opera: presents,
• 13-20 Sep 2025, Follies, Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman. Northern Ireland Opera’s next major production at the Grand Opera House is ‘Follies’, winner of 7 Tony Awards on its debut on Broadway in 1971. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Goldman, this legendary work features unforgettable songs including ‘Broadway Baby’, ‘I’m Still Here’, ‘Could I Leave You’, and ‘Losing My Mind’. ‘Follies’ will be directed by Cameron Menzies, Artistic Director of Northern Ireland Opera.
• FREE Come and Sing Follies event, Friday 19 September, The Studio, Grand Opera House, 5:30pm. Whether you sing in the shower, in a choir, or you’re a fully-fledged diva, join NI Opera for this uplifting annual celebration of song.
Find out more about the work of NI Opera at www.niopera.com
Visit www.niopera.com for more information on all events.
Belfast Music Society: presents:
• Gerard McChrystal (saxophone) & Craig Ogden (guitar) | Northern Lights MiniFest, 23 Oct, Harty Room, QUB
• Camerata Ireland | Northern Lights MiniFest, 25 Oct, The Great Hall, QUB
• M’ANAM | Northern Lights MiniFest, 26 Oct, Harty Room, QUB
• BMS Chill, Crescent Arts Centre. Belfast Music Society presents an afternoon of accessible high quality classical music for people with additional needs and their families. Join RiChmusicNI as they create both a stimulating and soothing environment for children and adults alike.
o 20 Sep, 0-13 Years, 1:30pm
o 20 Sep, 14 Years/adults, 3pm
o 13 Dec, 0-13 Years, 1:30pm (Christmas edition)
o 13 Dec, 14 Years/adults, 3pm (Christmas edition)
Visit www.belfastmusicsociety.org
Moving on Music: presents,
• 25 September, Daoirí Farrell, The Empire
• 9-12 Oct, Tempest (tour) support from Múlú
• 12 Oct, Poesis, Crescent arts Centre
• 18 Oct, Stick In The Wheel, Sunflower Bar
• 19 Oct, Chamber Choir Ireland, Fisherwick Church
• 25 Oct, Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals, Black Box
• 5 Nov, BIG | BRAVE, Ulster Sports Club
• 13-16 Nov, David Lyttle featuring Terell Stafford (USA) and special guests (Tour)
• 6 Dec, Trá Pháidín, Accidental Theatre
Visit www.movingonmusic.com
Portico of Ards: presents
• 19 September, blues and jazz with Martin Harley
• 20 September, comedy with Jarlath Regan
Ulster Orchestra:
• 13 Sep, On Your Doorstep: Storm and Drama, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Haydn and Purcell at The Guildhall in Derry-Londonderry
• 15 Sep, BBC Radio 3 Summer Invitation Concert: Departures, Returns and Colour, Liszt, Vaughan Williams and Franck with James Atkinson and Jac van Steen
• 20 Sep, BBC Radio 3 Summer Invitation Concert: Majestic Evocation, Schumann, Hamilton Harty and Dvořák, with Killian Farrell
• 27 Sep, BBC Radio 3 Summer Invitation Concert: Gems in the Shadows, Mendelssohn and Beethoven with Sinead Hayes.
The Ulster Orchestra has also revealed their new 2025/26 season programme with highlights including:
• 26 Sep, Ulster Orchestra: Myths & Magic
• 11 Oct, Ulster Orchestra: Spectacular Soundtracks
• 7 Nov, Ulster Orchestra: Always Clara
• 6 Dec, Ulster Orchestra: The Snowman
Visit https://www.ulsterorchestra.or... to view the full programme.
Oh Yeah Centre Belfast: presents a programme of music and tours with highlights including,
• The NI Music exhibition at Oh Yeah is the only permanent exhibit for popular music in Northern Ireland. There is much to see, including a series of storyboards documenting and plotting the history and the stories of Folk, Punk, Rock, Jazz and more. Exhibition Opening Times, Mon – Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat: 12-5pm. To enquire about a visit, or for further info and group bookings please contact [email protected] or call 02890310845
Visit www.ohyeahbelfast.com
The Black Box: presents a varied programme of music, comedy, street art tours and other arts events with highlights including:
For further information visit www.blackboxbelfast.com
Scott’s Jazz Club: Scott's Jazz Club runs a weekly concert in Ballyhackamore club 1a Sandown Road every Friday Night from 9pm. For upcoming performances visit Scott's Jazz Club (scottsjazzclub.com)
Dock Street Jazz Club: Upstairs at the American Bar, Belfast. Homegrown MOBO-nominated drummer David Lyttle and Dock Street Jazz Club regulars feature acclaimed guests and NI talent alike in Belfast latest's jazz attraction. Music starts at 8pm and advance booking from americanbarbelfast.com is highly recommended.
• Sept 14: Next Generation Sounds: Ben Falconer. Up-and-coming clarinetist/saxophonist, recent winner of the Skidmore Jazz Award (USA).
• Sept 21: Myles Drennan. One of Ireland's leading jazz musicians for over thirty years in a rare organ set.
• Sept 28: Jazz Record Lounge. Rare cuts and original pressings from Blue Note and beyond.
• Oct 5: Next Generation Sounds: Annie Diamond + Mateo Moore. Double bill featuring two talented up-and-comers on harp and trumpet.
• Oct 12: Will Vinson (US/UK). Iconic alto saxophonist on the New York scene for over 20 years, with David Lyttle and rising star UK bassist James Owston.
• Oct 19: Jazz Record Lounge. Rare cuts and original pressings from Blue Note and beyond.
• Oct 26: Phil Robson (UK) & David Lyttle 'IN2'. Iconic UK guitarist joins David Lyttle to play music from their album 'IN2' ('quietly groundbreaking' – All About Jazz)
• Nov 2: Next Generation Sounds: Nick Falconer. Creative and unique Lisburn drummer with an eclectic group of up-and-coming talent.
• Nov 9: Next Generation Sounds: Mackenzie Rodgers. Rising star bass guitarist blending jazz, hip-hop and more.
• Nov 16: Jazz Record Lounge. Rare cuts and original pressings from Blue Note and beyond.
• Nov 23: TBA
• Nov 30: Jean Toussaint (USA). Legendary US saxophonist and former member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
• Dec 7: Ashley Henry. An exploration of jazz and hip-hop featuring one of South London's latest exports, nominated in the Jazz FM Awards, Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards and hotly tipped by the LA Times.
• Dec 14: Next Generation Sounds: Marianne McBride. Talented up-and-coming vocalist singing from the Great American Songbook.
• Dec 21: Jazz Record Lounge. Rare cuts and original pressings from Blue Note and beyond.
Beyond Skin: presents 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld' as part of Culture Night Belfast 19th September. 7.15pm. Black Box. Electronic music composer Alex Thompson, musician and founder of Beyond Skin, Darren Ferguson will bring together an eclectic group of musicians, poets, whirling dancers, meditation practitioners, a choir and bell ringers to perform an interpretation of The Orb’s 1989 soundscape 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld'.
The 18-minute performance will feature some vocals and sounds that were sampled on the original track played live. This includes Northern Irish singer and songwriter Claire-Louise McBride singing “Loving You” by Minnie Riperton and the VOYPIC Culture Night Choir singing the sample taken from “Slave to the Rhythm” by Grace Jones. The choir has been specially curated for the performance by the organisation VOYPIC that supports young people in care.
Providing the rhythm to the electronic melodies played on synthesisers by Alex and Darren are percussion maestros Henrique Franco (Brazil) and Slawomir Cichy (Poland). On bass guitar Jan Uhrin (Slovakia). The participatory element of the performance will also invite members of the audience to participate on hand bells.
Beat Carnival: presents BEATnDRUM’s 'Big Street Show’ at Culture Night 2025. BEATnDRUM will be performing in Cathedral Gardens from 21:00 - 22:00, Friday 19th September. "BEATnDRUM hit the town with their new street show, involving full ebike sound-system, guitars, keyboards, vocals, brass and no doubt, a tonne of percussion. Expect to hear samba favourites with some 80’s /90’s classics and a huge whack-a-drums. The performance will showcase Beat Carnival’s recent advances in mobile street sound production, that has allowed them to deliver a fully mobile ‘melodic’ band in addition to our community samba percussion players.
Stage Beyond: Stage Beyond Theatre Company presents Access All Areas, 22-23 Sep at the Millennium Forum in Derry-Londonderry. Stage Beyond invites the public to join them for a series of special 'Access All Areas' promenade performances at the Millennium Forum celebrating North West legends past and present. The event is supported by Derry City and Strabane District Council's Community Festival Fund 2025-2026.
Enjoy music, song, dance and drama featuring Brian Friel’s 'Lovers: Winners and Losers'; Seamus Heaney's beloved poem 'Digging'; Amelia Earhart's historic flight landing; piano recitals of Joseph Locke's 'Hear My Song'; and our very own 'Derry Girls' - Stage Beyond style!
There will be two performances running on Monday, September 22nd and Tuesday, September 23rd at 11am and 1.30pm (40 minutes approx). Audiences will be guided by an MC between the Box Office and Studio. All welcome, free admission (no booking required).
Young at Art: presents,
• Baby Rave, 27 Sep at Belfast Cathedral. It’s back! The original and ravers’ favourite, Baby Rave. Young at Art can’t wait to get our groove on with ravers young and old(er) in Belfast Cathedral and boogie to the Baby Rave playlist, specially curated by Young at Art’s resident DJ, Kwame Daniels. Baby Rave is a participatory dance event for children under 4 and their grownups, encouraging you and your baby to dance and explore rhythm and music together. A DJ spins against a dynamic backdrop while you and your baby bounce with a team of dance facilitators in an ambient ‘club’ environment decorated with funky lights, soft materials and parachutes. Book early to avoid missing out! Duration: 45 mins
• An Fia sa Choill, 18 Oct at Culturlann McAdam O Fiach, age 6+. To celebrate her book, ‘An Fia sa Choill’ – a beautiful new retelling of the Sadhbh and Oisín myth Sadhbh Devlin will be joined by Máire Zepf, author of ‘An Féileacán agus an Rí’ in a fun collaborative session exploring the world of Irish mythology and shape-shifters. Listen to Sadhbh and Máire as they share their infectious passion for the weird and wonderful in Irish myths and imagine your own shapeshifting characters and stories. Young at Art is delighted to have An Fia sa Choill as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival 2025. Duration: 60 mins. Tickets are FREE but must be booked in advance. Book early to avoid disappointment, visit www.youngatart.co.uk
Circusful: Circusful currently have some class spaces available for 2-3 year olds (attending with a parent/guardian) and 12 -15 year olds. To find out more or book a spot for your young person, get in touch with them at [email protected] / Visit www.circusful.org
Crescent Arts Centre: has a new term of classes to book and enjoy now. Fancy learning to speak some Italian before your holiday to Italy this year? Well now’s your chance! From visual arts, language classes, acting, dance, music making and more, there’s something to tantalise all tastes.
Crescent Arts Centre will also be taking part in Culture Night 2025 from 4-7pm with several drop-in activities from Maiden Voyage Dance, Fighting Words NI, NI Science Festival and Crescent Arts Centre, come along for an evening of art activities, map workshops, zine-making and dance performances. Visit www.crescentarts.org
Duncairn: presents live music from the following,
• 11 Sep, (Theatre) Clare Murphy - The Spanking Goddess and Other Discarded Tales
• 12 Sep, (Music) Poor Creature
• 13 Sep, (Live music, Other Events, Discussion, Poetry) So Say So: The Hills are Alive!
• 19 Sep, (Music) Matt Benson
• 27 Sep, (Music) Macdara Ó Faoláin & Victoria Adiiye + Seamus & Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta
• 10 Oct, (Music) Hymns of Doom: Darkest Era (Acoustic)
• 11 Oct, (Music) Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black
The Duncairn also has a range of workshops and craft classes and courses. For further details and to view the full programme of events visit www.theduncairn.com
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents,
• Irish Language Intensive Course. Intensive courses are a great way to boost your language skills in a short space of time. The course will be both motivating and informative and will take your confidence in the Irish language to another level. The levels we offer are: Bunrang|Beginner , Meanrang | Intermediate , Ardrang | Advanced . Please email [email protected] for more information
• Yoga Classes with Dunla, 6:30-7:30pm, £5. No need to register, just pay on arrival.
For this and more visit www.culturlann.ie
Greater Shantallow Community Arts: presents Spill The Tae Youth Led Podcast from the young people at Studio2/GSCA. This amazing group of creative young people have launched their very own podcast and it can be found on Spotify or Apple Podcast. The young people plan, host, interview and edit the Podcast. To date they have interviewed some of their local MLA’s, Councillors, survivors and local Derry’s own Serena Terry, creator of Mammy Banter. As well as this they have a voice and a safe place where they can openly talk about mental health and what it means to them. You can find the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast.
Eden Place Arts Centre: in Derry-Londonderry has an exciting range of courses and workshops to get your creative juices flowing including wood sculpture, Inner Landscapes, Abstract Art, Ceramics, Painting for Beginners, Contemporary Botanical Watercolours, Landscape Painting Life Painting, Spinning and Weaving plus Portrait Painting, among others. All courses are designed for adults aged 18+. Visit www.edenplaceartscentre.com
WheelWorks Arts: presents,
ArtCart: Unique to WheelWorks Arts (WWA) is their ArtCart community engagement and outreach programme, which brings creative and artistic activities to your community. ArtCart is also the name WWA gives to its bespoke vehicle that can travel across Northern Ireland and transform into a unique workshop space. ArtCart is available for hire at youth, community, education, and festival events, bringing artistic and creative activities to the community. For further information and to hear about their special Art Cart offers over Christmas, visit https://www.wheelworksarts.com or email [email protected]
TS3 Programme: The Tech Studio Skills Share (TS3 programme) is a new initiative by WheelWorks Arts (WWA) that offers training to help people improve their creativity and skills in digital communication by harnessing the specialist artistic expertise of the WWA team. They are now offering a range of training opportunities to the corporate and commercial sectors. For further information, visit https://www.wheelworksarts.com
Streetwise Community Circus: Fancy learning how to juggle and other circus skills?! To take advantage of this opportunity all you have to do is email Streetwise on [email protected] suitable for participants who range in age from 8 to 80 plus.
QSS:
Gallery 1: Artist Anushiya Sundaralingam presents, Fragmented Crossings, 14 Aug-18 Sep 2025.
Gallery 2: Artist Claire Ritchie presents, Where The Pavement Ends, 14 Aug-18 Sep 2025.
Visit https://www.queenstreetstudios...
The MAC Belfast: presents, Grenfell, 17 Jul 2025 - 21 Sep 2025. In December 2017, artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (b. 1969, London, UK) made an artwork in response to the fire that took place earlier that year on 14 June at Grenfell Tower, North Kensington, West London. 72 people died in the tragedy. Filming the tower before it was covered with hoarding, McQueen sought to make a record. Please note screenings of Grenfell will take place at set times. Doors open fifteen minutes before the screening time and the screening will commence promptly. This work is intended to be seen from the start, so unfortunately latecomers cannot be admitted. The film is 24 minutes long. The film contains close-up imagery of the tower six months after the fire. Please let a member of our team know if you need space to pause, rest and reflect afterwards. Visit www.themaclive.com
Craft NI: visit www.craftni.org
Seacourt Print Workshop: Seacourt is a friendly open-access print workshop based in the seaside town of Bangor, Northern Ireland. They offer membership, courses and resources for all, as well as our self-arranged residency programme and exhibitions. Visit https://seacourt-ni.org.uk/#
Golden Thread Gallery: Belfast's leading contemporary art gallery, located at 23-29 Queen Street, BT1 6EA. Free Entry.
• Golden Thread Gallery is proud to present Radical Hope, 13 Sep – 8 Nov, a new exhibition developed in collaboration with Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, Poland. Curated from Collection II, one of Poland’s most significant collections of contemporary art, the exhibition offers a timely reflection on uncertainty, resilience, and the transformative potential of art.
Collection II, held by the Arsenal Gallery and shaped under the direction of Monika Szewczyk,
Golden Thread Gallery also has a range of other events on including:
• Mindful Colouring Drop-In Workshops (ages 18+). No booking required, just drop in!
• Out of Office Drop-In Sessions Wednesdays 12-2PM. All materials are provided, as well as tea, coffee & biscuits. No booking required, just drop in!
• Family Workshops, ages 4-11, every Saturday
For all of the above, and more https://goldenthreadgallery.co...
PS2/Paragon Studios: presents,
• Meeting The Lough On Its Own Terms', an exhibition and workshops programme by artist Ami Clarke, in partnership with Friends of the Earth, Digital Art Studios, Sonic Arts Research Centre and PS2, (Belfast), and Banner Repeater (London). 'Meeting The Lough On Its Own Terms' explores ways of ‘sensing’ Lough Neagh at a microbial scale, from a multi-species perspective. On now until 27 Sep.
• Faces I See When I Go To Sleep, on now until 26 Sep. Faces I See When I Go To Sleep is the result of the artist's immersion in the universe of dreams and everyday observation: the dream as a goal to be achieved, as a form of self-analysis and understanding of the human being beyond this material plane. Also dream as a revolutionary act, since capitalism doesn't consider dreaming, analysing or resting to be productive, profitable or essential. It's important to dream, it's what makes us feel alive and hopeful, what makes us human. The exhibition involves themes of psychology, sociology, memory and his chronicle of the social layers and the people around, those whom he loves, strangers he sees in the streets and artists that inspires him in some way. The exhibition consists of a series of figurative/ abstract paintings in acrylic and oil, a sculpture, an installation and several objects. Curated by Husk Bennett.
Visit www.pssquared.org
Belfast Exposed: presents,
• Gallery I: Frits de Ridder: Staring at the Sun, 7 Aug – 20 Sep 2025. For the first time in over thirty years, the powerful and deeply personal work of Dutch photographer Frits de Ridder (1954–1994) will be showcased in an exhibition, opening on August 7, 2025, at Belfast Exposed. Frits de Ridder: Staring at the Sun presents an unflinching portrait of life, illness, and resistance during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Belfast Exposed also offers a range of photography and videography training courses. Visit www.belfastexposed.com
VOID Art Centre: presents.
• The Gift Ecology, by Jasmina Cibic. The Gift Ecology runs until Saturday 13th September 2025.
Jasmina Cibic’s The Gift Ecology continues the artist’s exploration of the anthropological concept of the gift and its inherent obligations of circulation and reciprocity, as succinctly described by Marcel Mauss in his seminal essay The Gift. At Void Art Centre, Cibic focuses on the extractivism of both nature and culture within the history of political gifting—particularly on gifts that supported the construction of global transnational spheres of influence through soft power strategies. The Gift Ecology presents a new body of work spanning video installation, photography, and sculpture. Visit www.derryvoid.com
CCA: presents,
• Love is blindly reaching out rhizoids and anchoring them to a rock, an exhibition by McGibbon O'Lynn, 28 Jun – 6 Sep 2025
Love is blindly reaching out rhizoids and anchoring them to a rock is the newest manifestation of the world of Xenophon, a collaborative world-building project by McGibbon O'Lynn.
Rooted in the fictional world of the Xenothorpians - a fluid species mutating across vegetal, human, and ecological entanglement - the exhibition activates a multispecies romance beyond the species and the sexual. The project expands ideas of intimacy and relations through flings, courtships, longings, and liaisons with the garden.
The artistic duo consider how the gamification of dating has shaped how humans relate to one another, from 1960s TV shows like The Dating Game to 1990s board games like Dream Phone, and today's swipe-based apps like Tinder and Bumble. These formats reduce love to strategy, speed, and surface, often reinforcing transactional and disposable dynamics. This exhibition responds to that shift, questioning what we lose when intimacy becomes a game. it proposes a radical reimagining of connection - towards a more expansive, inclusive, and multispecies form of love and relationality.
The audience is invited into this multispecies dating game through ritual, material, and speculative storytelling. The project asks: what new intimacies arise when we love without species' boundaries?
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F.E McWilliam Gallery and Studio in Banbridge: presents Barbara Freeman: A Retrospective from 14 June – 27 September 2025. Free admission. Visit https://visitarmagh.com/whatso...
Arts Council NI Collection at Island Arts Centre, 'How Does it Feel', 18 Sept - 18 Oct 2025 in Galleries 1 & 2. This curated exhibition, drawn from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) Collection, seeks to explore the innate need to feel connection – with each other, the environment and our inner worlds.
The Arts Council’s contemporary collection represents over twenty years of visual art by artists, from emerging to established, living and working in Northern Ireland. This showcase includes work by artists who are based in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area.
