Upcoming event
August 1, 2027
Updated
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann returns to Belfast from Sunday, August 1 to Sunday, August 8, 2027. The festival celebrates Irish music, song, dance and language through sessions, street performances and stage shows in Belfast, a UNESCO City of Music.
Presented by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
Official festival website — consult the organiser for the detailed programme, venues, ticketing and visitor information as it becomes available.
Dates confirmed against the official festival website on October 21, 2026.
Music, culture and the Fleadh
The Fleadh welcomes established followers of traditional music and newcomers to sessions, street performances and stage shows in Belfast, a UNESCO City of Music. Its cultural programme brings together Irish music, song, dance and language.
The supplied festival overview describes activities including Scoil Éigse, competitions, concerts, street sessions, cultural events, the Gig-Rig, céilí bands, pageants, marching bands, awards, launches, recitals, Irish-language events and exhibitions. Check the official website for the confirmed 2027 programme and arrangements.
All-Ireland competitions
All-Ireland competition is central to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Competitors qualify through county and provincial stages, with traditional arts categories organised into Under 12, 12–15, 15–18 and Over 18 (Senior) age groups. Consult Comhaltas and the festival’s current rules for eligibility, categories and entry arrangements.
Solo instruments
- Fidil — fiddle
- Bosca Ceoil — button accordion
- Feadóg Mhór — flute
- Feadóg — whistle
- Cairdín Pianó — piano accordion
- Consairtín — concertina
- Píb Uilleann — uilleann pipes
- Cruit — Irish harp
- Orgán Béil — mouth organ
- Bainseó — banjo
- Maindilín — mandolin
- Pianó — piano
- Mileoideon — melodeon
- Bodhrán
- Drumaí Céilí — céilí band drums
- Rogha Ghléas — miscellaneous instrument
Slow airs — Foinn Mhalla
Fiddle, uilleann pipes, flute, whistle and harp are among the slow-air categories described in the supplied competition overview.
Ensembles and groups
- Ceol Beirte — duets
- Ceol Trír — trios
- Buíon Cheoil Chéilí — céilí bands
- Grúpaí Cheoil — music groups
Marching bands
- Buíon Cheoil Cairdín — accordion band
- Buíon Cheoil Feadóg Mhór — flute band
- Buíon Cheoil Rogha Ghléas — miscellaneous band
- Buíon Cheoil Phíb — pipe band
Programme year
This listing is for August 1–8, 2027. The supplied background also mentions Belfast’s August 2–9, 2026 festival; that date and its attendance forecast relate to the previous edition. The competition overview above is background information, not a published 2027 timetable.
Official Fleadh website — programme and competition updates.