The Factory Sessions return for Sound of Belfast on 6th November, this time teaming up with electrifying Alt Pop artist Chubby Cat in the stunning Tropical Ravine, Belfast.

Following an international tour of the USA, Canada and Switzerland in 2024, TRÚ will launch their latest release with a very special homecoming concert in The Duncairn.

We are delighted to host the Northern Ireland album launch DEKA from Northern-Irish-Ghanaian pop artist Winnie Ama. Released in Oct 2025 DEKA is a vibrant, genre-blending mixtape that fuses pop with disco, soul, and folk influences.

The very best Thursday vibes. Piano and Cello, Whistle and Double Bass blues, rock and folk tunes to ease into the weekend.

Handmade Music is an experimental music night in Belfast specially curated by Moving on Music (MOM) and The Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC).

Late Night Art in Belfast is a celebration of the arts and culture of the city, with the cathedral quarter hosting exhibitions until 9.30pm. Continue the night at the Ulster Sports Club as Blue Pool & NuMuze host the unofficial afterparty.

Clara Schumann was a formidable character – a phenomenally gifted pianist, brilliant composer, editor of her husband Robert Schumann’s compositions and key supporter of Brahms, her contribution to the world of music is vast.

Born and raised just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland, Bea Stewart is a singer-songwriter shaped by the rich tradition of Irish folk music she grew up with. Her songwriting is rooted in honest storytelling and emotional vulnerability.

Join us for a special evening honouring the life and legacy of Ottilie Patterson, one of Northern Ireland’s most extraordinary jazz and blues voices. Though her remarkable career was overlooked for many years, recent renewed attention—including a powerful double-band documentary and an upcoming new play by Richard Clements—has brought her story back into the spotlight.

Renegade Kings continue on their musical meanderings along the Lagan. Join them for a showcase of tracks from their new EP - The Hand You're Dealt.  New songs, old favourites and a great atmosphere.

Venus Rising is a new creative production company founded by Claire Hall — also known as Venus Dupree. Our mission is to spotlight artists who are either on the rise or already blazing bright with innovation, rawness, and an unwavering dedication to the integrity of their craft.

Rowdy, raucous, foot stamping Irish Ballads on a Friday night in the downstairs bar.

Step into an immersive afternoon where music meets wellbeing. Sonic Sanctuary blends live performances, conversation, and interactive “Mood Booths” to explore how sound shapes our emotions and restores balance.

Come on a musical journey across the city to hear about the wealth of musical talent in Belfast across a wide range of genres, while enjoying a specially curated music playlist. Along the way you will hear anecdotes about Van Morrison, Gary Lightbody and Snow Patrol, James Galway, Ruby Murray, Ottilie Patterson and many other music ‘legends’.

Project 5 - a new event series from Bang Bike and Martha Dark dedicated to playing the freshest and finest House music - launches at Sound of Belfast 2025.

Noise-rockers from across the Island, Stratford Rise & Pebbledash co-headline Voodoo, Belfast. Both bands gaining serious traction for their explosive live performances, this is not one to be missed.

Susi Pagel headlines a night in Oh Yeah celebrating Belfast's fierce female talent in rock, before her and her band head off to London for their biggest show to date in The Royal Albert Hall, as part of Music for Youth Proms. Supporting are blazing grunge up-and-comers GUSH, and rock 'n' roll queens REVÖLUTIØN.

Van Morrison is undoubtedly among the most-distinguished musicians of our times. Celebrating his 80th birthday this year, he continues to tour and perform, and has released a new album, Remembering Now. On this gentle two-hour walking tour, we will explore Van Morrison’s East Belfast. We will walk around the area grew up in, see the parks he played in as a child, the primary school he went to, the house he lived in, and much more. Many of the streets and place names we will encounter, will be familiar to us from the lyrics of many Van Morrison songs.  Van’s home area shaped the musician and he pays tribute to it and reminisces about it in many of his songs.

In response to the growing need of young artists for a safe place to perform and enhance their skills, Oh Yeah launched their first all-ages Open Mic in August 2022. It was a massive success with a bill filled to the brim of talented performers, all under the age of 18.

A unique afternoon of music, theatre, and literature will take place at The Harrison Hotel paying tribute to the life and legacy of Belfast-born jazz icon Ottilie Patterson.

Wilfie (Wilfie Gilbert) is a much loved and respected singer/songwriter who has been a mainstay on the live gigging circuit in Belfast for years, a self-effacing legend of the Northern Ireland music scene. Joining Wilfie is John McCullough, a pianist and keyboard virtuoso hailing from Ireland. With an impressive resume that includes collaborations with The Waterboys, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, Andrew Strong, Paul Casey and Sharon Corr, John has left an indelible mark on the global music stage.

Myles McCormack invites you to join along as he drives a furrow through songs both familiar and obscure. In the midst of a project of reimagined covers (Leonard Cohen, Portishead, Tool, Black Sabbath, Catatonia etc) this concert will get to the heart of a selection of those songs, whilst also showcasing originals from his own catalogue, accompanied by a changing ensemble.

A Little Herbal Hymnal is a spellbinding journey through grief, love, and the healing gifts of the natural world.

Sound of Belfast presents the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Creative Bursaries 2025 winners showcase.

Soultrane Presents: Leo Miyagee – Artist in Residence Showcase

Join us for an immersive evening of sonic and visual storytelling as Soultrane proudly presents Leo Miyagee’s Artist in Residence Showcase — a multi-sensory experience shaped by the artist’s personal journey, creative vision, and deep musical archive.

Rising Bass guitarist blending jazz, hip-hop and more.

Bonded is a night in honour of the recording craft. The request is simple; sit back and listen. Each month we will select an LP to listen to in a safe and attentive group environment. The musician behind it will be present on the night. This is an event designed to slow the listening process down. To delve into the details and grow closer to the art of the recorded format.

A concert curated Beyond Skin and official sponsor Chloe Shannon (15), a musician and student at Integrated College Glengormley.

Breaking Into Music is a Creative Industries Day curated by the Oh Yeah Music Centre as part of the annual Sound of Belfast Festival in November.

Starting and sustaining a career in music can mean a lot of hard work, so understanding your revenue streams is vital for any self-releasing artist or indie label. Whether it’s money from radio airplay, TV or your music being played in public places, we'll be discussing how revenue flows back through to the performer and recording rightsholder. Leo O’Brien, Member Development Manager at PPL will take you through some practical steps to ensure that you are fairly rewarded when your music is broadcast or played in public.

Step inside the historic Templemore Baths for an immersive evening of live ambient sound and meditation.

Join us on Tuesday 11th November as we celebrate the new wave of homegrown talent at our annual Scratch My Progress Showcase. This special night marks the culmination of our 9-month talent development programme supported by PRS Foundation and IMRO, where emerging artists have spent time honing their craft with dedicated mentors, weekly sessions, industry advice, studio time, photoshoots, and creative guidance.

rarewitch is a visual artist, animator and musician based in Belfast known for his prolific and subversive online animated shorts and outsider folk music. His live performances entail a chaotic fusion of frenetic banjo playing, surrealist humour and anarchic social commentary.

Interactive Workshop with Shauna Tohill (SoundBody)

Join us for a one-hour interactive workshop designed to help musicians, songwriters, and creative industry professionals stay healthy, resilient, and performing at their best. Led by Shauna Tohill—a qualified MSK physiotherapist and internationally touring musician—this session blends medical expertise with real-life experience of life on (and off) the road.

Looking to make connections in the music industry?

Join us at the Oh Yeah Music Centre on Wednesday 12th November, 11am – 1pm for a fast-paced Music Industry Speed Networking session.

Come on a special Sound of Belfast Festival musical journey, focused mainly on the Cathedral Quarter, to hear about the wealth of musical talent in Belfast across a wide range of genres, while enjoying a specially curated music playlist. Along the way, hear anecdotes about Van Morrison, Gary Lightbody and Snow Patrol, James Galway, Ruby Murray, Ottilie Patterson and many other music ‘legends’.

Celebrate some of the very best of Northern Ireland’s music scene at the NI Music Prize, taking place on Wednesday 12th November at the iconic Ulster Hall, Belfast. This unmissable annual event shines a spotlight on the incredible talent our local artists have to offer, with awards across multiple categories including the flagship Album of the Year award.

Come and experience this highly popular, immersive listening experience that recreates the spirit of the unique world of Japanese jazz kissa through vinyl and stories, hosted by Philip Arneill of the TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

Join us for the launch of How We Stand… How We Breathe, a powerful series of seven new music “interventions” created by composer Brian Irvine and writer-director John McIlduff (Dumbworld) in collaboration with the Ulster Orchestra and an extraordinary range of groups from across Northern Ireland.

Kaidi Tatham is a Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist, producer and pioneer of Broken-Beat and Nu Jazz.

Join Hard Rain for their annual celebration of the newest in new music. Exclusive premieres and a programme featuring both local and international composers, at all ends of the career spectrum, we showcase works just written for us over the past few months.

Comprised of brothers Stevie & Jake Lennox, Brian Coney, and Rory Dee, Junk Drawer is the product of four crate-digging music lovers with open ears and a genuine open-minded approach in their process. It is also the outworkings of rural Ulster strangeness, the provinces’ many lost futures, and the harmony & discordance of a sibling creative partnership.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

Volume Control's annual battle of the bands competition. Live Final with 5 of the freshest new musical acts to hit in the scene in Belfast and beyond. They will battle it out in front of an audience of their peers and industry judges in order to win some brilliant prizes and opportunities for their future.

The Night Hearts are best described as blending the fresh-faced sounds of today’s Pop/Rock with a dash of Americana. Led by Songwriting and Production Duo Chantelle McAteer and Chris Logan.

Strand presents a night of Soul with Blackjack + Jai Sian and support by Crystal Dawn.

Polar Bolero with support from Tessio and Tristan Rene. Polar Bolero- Live is where their arena is. Getting people onside is what it’s all about. Polar Bolero do it better than almost anyone else.

A 250-year-old cottage becomes an inhabitable amplifier for an experimental electro-acoustic performance.

Venus Rising is a new creative production company founded by Claire Hall — also known as Venus Dupree. Our mission is to spotlight artists who are either on the rise or already blazing bright with innovation, rawness, and an unwavering dedication to the integrity of their craft.

Rowdy, raucous, foot stamping Irish Ballads on a Friday night in the downstairs bar.

Don’t miss this chance to experience a behind-the-scenes tour of one of Belfast’s iconic entertainment venues – the Waterfront Hall – on 15 November.

At Building Blocks we have a unique seminar. In the morning, we will provide music industry education, song splits, funding, all the basic grassroots legalities. We have partnered with the MU and will also signpost to their materials. We provide lunch, and after lunch our attendees will split into smaller groups and write with workiBuilding Blocks to Becoming a Pro Songwriting songwriters to write a song and then perform the songs to the group at the end of the day. Previous camps have had writers Winnie Ama, Leo Miyagee, Cheylene Murphy and advice from the MU and Score Draws Mark Gordon.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

Experience Belfast’s vibrant music scene with the Belfast Music Bus Tour, and celebrate its UNESCO City of Music status. Hop on board for a music-filled journey across the city, to hear lots of stories and entertaining facts about many music legends connected to Belfast. Ruby Murray, Gary Moore, Sean Maguire, Bicep and David Holmes –to name just a few.

Belfast punk music holds a special place in music history, near and far.

Take this walking tour to explore the story of punk music on Belfast’s streets, with a passionate guide, who saw live back in the late 1970s the city’s best-known bands, including The Outcasts, Rudi, Stiff Little Fingers, Ruefrex, Victim, etc – and who loves today’s punk bands too. The story of 1970s punk and the Good Vibrations record shop and label run by Terri Hooley, has been dramatised in the ‘Good Vibrations’ film. On the walk, you will explore Belfast to see where the legendary sites in the 1970s punk story were, including where the Good Vibrations record shop first opened, and where the Harp Bar and The Pound stood.

Three Generations of Belfast DJs in Conversation.

As part of the 2025 Sound of Belfast Festival, we are proud to present “RTT” a compelling & intimate panel discussion tracing the evolution of DJ culture both here in Belfast and further afield, via three voices of influential & burgeoning artists: Noel Watson, Timmy Stewart & Hannah.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

What happens when two different musical worlds collide? Jazz pianist Scott Flanigan and traditional harpist Grainne Meyer come together to explore what happens when jazz meets trad!

Traditional music session with the boys from Lonesome George.

Hop on board this fun half-day bus tour for an exploration of the best of Belfast’s vibrant arts and cultural scene! Journey across the city - north, south, east and west – with your entertaining and knowledgeable. Become acquainted with a plethora of talented and creative people connected with the streets and city districts you will pass through.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

We close the Sound Of Belfast Festival with an afternoon dedicated to solidarity, reflection, and collective expression by presenting a tribute to Sinéad O’Connor’s 1994 album, Universal Mother. A powerful and haunting work, the album delves deep into trauma, womanhood, resistance, and the political through the lens of the personal. Its themes are as urgent today as they were then.

Clare Galway is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. Born in the heart of Belfast city, with mixed Irish and Filipino heritages, Clare weaves her soulful, gospel-influenced vocals into the world of Celtic storytelling. The listener cannot help but be drawn into her world by her captivating voice and potent, compelling stories of love and loss.

Jazz vinyl night featuring rare cuts and original pressings from Blue Note and beyond, compered by David Lyttle in the cosy surrouding of the candlelit American Bar.