CQAF2026 - Special Archives

Belfast: A Phenomenal Music City (Walking Tour)

Posted on 6th March 20269th April 2026 by site_admin

Book this fascinating 90-minute evening tour around the Cathedral Quarter to explore Belfast’s rich music scene. Your specialist guide from Creative Tours Belfast will introduce you to some of the city’s best-known musicians and bands, as well as some rising stars to follow.

There’ll be entertaining stories aplenty along the way. You’ll also hear a little about Belfast’s rich musical heritage and the city’s different musical traditions and their roots. Anecdotes will be shared about iconic music moments and key festivals – past and present.

The tour will touch on a wide range of music genres, including electronic, traditional, jazz, rock, pop, rap, punk and more. Music clips will be played along the way from a curated playlist!

Starting outside 2 Royal Avenue, a popular cultural venue, we’ll then take in historic pubs, popular clubs, Belfast’s oldest church building that has strong music links across centuries, a legendary venue in the city’s late ’70s punk scene, an open-air performance space, and the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast’s own dedicated music hub.

This evening walk will let you explore a great music city, worthy of its 2021 designation as a UNESCO City of Music. It may whet your appetite to continue the evening by experiencing a live music event for yourself – maybe even from the CQAF programme.

The tour will take place in all weathers, so please come prepared! Meet outside 2RA a few minutes before the 6pm start time. The tour will end at 7.30pm on Hill Street.

North Block Night Market ( Pre-Sale Tickets)

Posted on 13th March 202620th April 2026 by site_admin

Step inside one of Belfast’s most historic and unique buildings for a night market like no other.

After the sad news of needing a new home, Little Fox Events have reimagined the former North Block Bazaar and are super excited to launch a new four-part series of night markets with part 1 Bealtaine in collaboration with Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.

With an emphasis on celebrating the changing seasons, the markets will help build community engagement with the ancient festivals taking place throughout the year.

First in the series is “Bealtaine” an ancient Celtic fire festival which marks the beginning of summer and to celebrate the legendary Crumlin Road Gaol will be transformed into a vibrant North Block Bazaar Night Market. Over 40 curated stalls will fill the atmospheric corridors and open prison cells of the Gaol with vintage clothing, independent art and design, unique handmade goods and a diverse mix of street food from some of Belfast’s favourite makers.

As night falls, the Gaol’s striking architecture will become the backdrop for an unforgettable market experience in one of the city’s most unique spaces. DJs and live music will provide the soundtrack while the Gaol’s own bar will serve craft beers and drinks throughout the night creating a lively buzzy atmosphere.

This “Bealtaine” North Block Night Market invites visitors to experience the Gaol after dark– reimagined as a place of creativity, community and celebration.

Hidden Belfast

Posted on 20th February 202626th March 2026 by site_admin

Think you know Belfast? Think again. Join authors Raymond O’Regan and Arthur Magee for an eye-opening journey through streets you thought you knew. Based on their bestselling books Hidden Belfast and The Little Book of Belfast, this entertaining tour reveals the secrets, stories and surprises hiding in plain sight around the city.

Perfect for locals who want to see their hometown through fresh eyes, this walk combines fascinating insights with plenty of humour, music and craic.

Enlightening, entertaining, and designed to make you look at the city differently, we guarantee good fun with guides who literally wrote the book on Belfast.

Listening Sets Provided

*Sunday May 3 tour dedicated to memory of Joe Breen. All proceeds to Community Rescue.

Please arrive 15 mins before departure.

Hit the North

Posted on 25th March 202626th March 2026 by site_admin

Seedhead Arts are proud to bring the Hit the North Street Art Festival back for its 13th edition. HTN brings some of the world’s finest artists to Belfast for a unique gathering on Union Street and Kent Street.

This year’s event will feature 50 local, national and international artists with an array of styles and techniques on show as onlookers watch the artwork develop throughout the day and with refreshments available from nearby Sunflower Bar.