The annual Belfast International Arts Festival is about to start and we’ve highlighted some key events happening during its run.
Burnt Out - OPENING EVENT | A Lyric Theatre Production
Sat 7 Oct - Sat 4 Nov | Lyric Theatre 7:30pm (Tues - Sat) / 2:30pm (Sat & Sun) | From £15
Burnt Out by Gary Mitchell reveals the darker side of suburban life in Belfast in this new black comedy.
This dark psychological thriller follows a couple as their perfect life unravels into a disorientating nightmare of suspicion, paranoia, and intimidation when they unwittingly move to a new home opposite a bonfire site.
Country Roads – An Evening of New Country Music
Sat 14 Oct | The MAC | 8:00pm | £15 / £12 concession
To celebrate Belfast’s recent designation as a UNESCO City of Music, BIAF is teaming up with Canada’s first UNESCO City of Music, London, Ontario to present a very special evening of new country music featuring acclaimed Canadian duo, Aaron and Aimee Allen with special guest and local favourite, Gary Quinn.
Elégie | Rachmaninoff – A Heart in Exile
Sun 15 Oct | The MAC | 7:45pm | £20 / £18 concession
Elégie chronicles the life of composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff. The concert includes many of his best- loved works for solo piano, including a selection of Preludes, Etudes-Tableaux and Moments Musicaux, some of his own transcriptions and the haunting Elegie, as well as works by Scriabin and Tchaikovsky
An Evening with The Belfast Ensemble & Marc Almond
Tues 17 Oct | The Grand Opera House | 7:30pm | £35 - £25
Join The Belfast Ensemble for an unforgettable evening in The Grand Opera House as they share the stage with iconic pop star Marc Almond for a two part concert featuring the critically acclaimed Abomination: A DUP Opera and the multi-award winning song cycle Ten Plagues.
Cara Dillon - Coming Home
Wed 18 Oct | The Grand Opera House | 7:30pm | £28 - £23
Few singers are as celebrated and revered as Cara Dillon. Known for her captivating live performances she seldom fails to leave audiences spellbound. Ahead of an official release in 2024, this autumn sees Cara unveiling Coming Home, her first new material in almost six years, in which she effortlessly blurs the lines between spoken word and song to stunning effect.
This will be a very special opportunity to experience a revealing and emotive performance by this internationally acclaimed singer – and not one to miss!
FIQ! | Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger
Fri 20 - Sat 21 Oct | Grand Opera House | 7:30pm | £30 - £18 | Family ticket (2 adults, 2 concession): £85
Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger bring their phenomenal acrobatic energy to Belfast International Arts Festival with FIQ!, a luminous, acrobatic and playful ode to the young people of Morocco that is a celebration of light and colour.
Expect magical acrobatic feats, breakdancing and freestyle football, set to the unique sounds of DJ Dino’s scratching and fiery rap in the majestic surroundings of the Grand Opera House.
work.txt | Nathan Ellis
Tues 24 - Wed 25 Oct | The MAC | 7:45pm | £20 / £18 concession
HATE YOUR JOB? COME WORK FOR US.
work.txt is a show performed entirely by the audience about the gig economy, financial instability and bullsh*t jobs.
From the Quiet Man to The Quiet Girl – An Irish Film Music Journey
Thurs 26 Oct | Strand Arts Centre | 7:30pm| £10 | £7 concession | £5 for Film Hub NI Members
A celebration of Irish film music, and the role played by music in telling the great stories of Irish cinema over the past 100 years at Belfast’s iconic Strand Arts Centre.
Join top award-winning composers from the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland and host Hugh Odling-Smee (Film Hub NI) as they explore seminal Irish films, and how their scores reflected the culture of the day. Featuring the music of Stephen Rennicks, John Williams, Mark Gordon, James Horner, Sarah Lynch, Elmer Bernstein, Cater Burwell, Van Morrison, Henry Mancini, Hannah Peel and Glen Hansard.
King | Fishamble: The New Play Company
Fri 27 - Sat 28 Oct | The MAC | 7:45pm | £20 / £18 concession
King tells the story of Luther, a man from Cork named in honour of his Granny Bee Baw’s hero, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Luther only leaves his apartment for essential journeys, and to perform as an Elvis impersonator. The play explores prejudice, privilege, and resilience, as Luther struggles to live life to the full.
GUTTER | Off The Rails Dance
Sat 28 & Sun 29 Oct | The MAC | 7:45pm | £15
Experience GUTTER: a thrilling new dance theatre work by Eileen McClory, exploring human nature’s hunger for gossip. Our solo performer becomes the HOST, revealing the ruthless world of modern-day journalism, where free speech, false news and integrity collide.
Megan Nolan & Paul Murray
Sat 4 Nov / Crescent Arts Centre / 6:00pm/ £7 / £6 concession
Megan Nolan's latest novel Ordinary Human Failings has been described as ‘heartbreaking, society-examining stuff’ by Vogue and one of the ‘Books of 2023’ by The Times, Sunday Times and Guardian.
Paul Murray's latest book The Bee Sting has recently been shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize and described as ‘a thing of beauty, a novel that will fill your heart’ by The Observer.
