Belfast Times

Belfast Times Belfast Times
Independent culture magazine celebrating Belfast. Reviews, recommendations & weekend inspiration from theatre nights to market mornings.

Featuring Belfast Times Studio, our in-house line of objects inspired by words and places in the city.

Extraordinary.There were moments during Hadestown: Teen Edition at The MAC last night when the voices simply got me.Brod...
21/08/2026

Extraordinary.

There were moments during Hadestown: Teen Edition at The MAC last night when the voices simply got me.

Brody Elliott’s Orpheus has a beautiful, emotive voice that brought tears to my eyes more than once, while Catriona McCloskey’s Eurydice was sweet, tender and completely captivating.

And around them? A stage absolutely packed with young Northern Ireland talent. I tried counting the cast at one point and gave up somewhere around 35.

This level of performance deserves a bigger audience. It could be filling the Grand Opera House for a week, which makes its three night run at The MAC feel far too short.

My one hope for this young cast: don’t stop doing what you’re doing.

Because we’ll be seeing some of these names again.

🎭 Hadestown: Teen Edition
📍 The MAC, Belfast
📅 Until 22 August

Full review on theBelfastTimes.com

Complimentary review tickets.

18,000 of you now follow Belfast Times on Facebook.That’s quite a lot of people with a shared curiosity about Belfast.Be...
18/08/2026

18,000 of you now follow Belfast Times on Facebook.

That’s quite a lot of people with a shared curiosity about Belfast.

Belfast Times has always been about experiencing the city. The places we eat, the shows we see, what’s happening this weekend, the streets we walk and all those little things we notice along the way.

Some posts reach thousands of people because it’s caught your attention and you like it. Others are quirky things on our radar and help you discover somewhere new. And some are just us catching up with friends and sharing that food or experience with you. And then there’s our weekend home in St George’s Market.

They are all part of the journey.

Thank you for following, sharing, commenting and coming along.

There’s plenty more of Belfast to discover.

And if you usually find us on Facebook but also use Instagram, we’re there too.

Belfast Times. Belfast, always.

Breakfast with a view of Ballyholme bay.We stopped by Starfish on Seacliff Road Bangor for breakfast, taking a table out...
18/08/2026

Breakfast with a view of Ballyholme bay.

We stopped by Starfish on Seacliff Road Bangor for breakfast, taking a table outside overlooking the water.

On the table were poached eggs with grilled halloumi, mushroom, tomatoes, greens and breads, alongside a more traditional cooked breakfast.

The food was fresh, colourful and generous, but the location is a big part of what makes breakfast here worth knowing about.

Food on the table, Ballyholme beach just beyond the wall and good conversation.

A good way to start a morning in Bangor.

🎳 AN AFTERNOON AT KING PINSBowling and pizza in Belfast.We called into King Pins today to properly try out the bowling a...
17/08/2026

🎳 AN AFTERNOON AT KING PINS

Bowling and pizza in Belfast.

We called into King Pins today to properly try out the bowling after first seeing the venue the day before it opened.

The bowling lanes are probably what you come for, but we stayed for pizza afterwards and spotted a couple of offers worth knowing about.

There’s currently a £10 Strike Deal for a meal and drink, while kids can bowl free before 12pm throughout the summer.

A handy one to know about when you’re wondering what to do for a couple of hours in Belfast.

Our visit was partly covered using a gift card sent to us by King Pins after the venue opened.

ON THE BELFAST RADAR17–23 August🏛️ Tuesday 18 AugustPublic Tour of Parliament BuildingsStormont EstateFrom 10amStep insi...
17/08/2026

ON THE BELFAST RADAR

17–23 August

🏛️ Tuesday 18 August
Public Tour of Parliament Buildings
Stormont Estate
From 10am

Step inside one of Northern Ireland’s most striking buildings on a guided tour exploring Stormont’s history, architecture and political heritage.

——

🐘 Tuesday 18 August
Sheila the Elephant: A Wartime Tale from Belfast
Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum
1pm & 3pm

Author and illustrator Ellan Rankin brings the remarkable true story of Sheila and her wartime keeper to life through storytelling and a family art workshop.
NI War Memorial Museum
——

🐐 Thursday 20 August
Dead Goat
The Harrison Chambers of Distinction
From 8pm

Northern Irish songwriting supergroup Dead Goat bring their blend of folk, rock and Americana to The Harrison’s intimate, candlelit Live Lounge.
The Harrison Belfast

——

🎤 Thursday 20 – Saturday 22 August
Belfast Vital
Boucher Road Playing Fields

Belfast Vital returns for three nights of major outdoor music, with Lewis Capaldi and Calvin Harris among the artists taking over Boucher Road Playing Fields.
Belfast Vital

——

🥁 Saturday 22 August
Belfast Mela Carnival
Writers Square to Belfast City Hall
From 12.30pm

Belfast Mela begins its 20th-anniversary celebrations with giant floats, global music, dancing and colourful processional sculptures filling the city centre.


——

🔥 Sunday 23 August
Earth Child
Titanic Slipways
From 8pm

Aerial dancers soar above Belfast from towering cranes as live music, global drumming, storytelling, fire and pyrotechnics mark 20 years of Belfast Mela.
Arts Ekta

Things to do in Belfast this weekend 👀15–16 August 2026🎤 Foy Vance: A Celebration of LifeSaturday at Custom House Square...
15/08/2026

Things to do in Belfast this weekend 👀

15–16 August 2026

🎤 Foy Vance: A Celebration of Life
Saturday at Custom House Square. Foy Vance is joined by Joshua Burnside, Vittorio Angelone and Bonnie Bishop for a big night in the city centre.

🎭 High Society
Saturday is your final chance to catch High Society at the Grand Opera House, bringing its run in Belfast to a close.

🎶 Belfast Ukulele Festival
The festival continues across the weekend, including Saturday at Mandela Hall before Sunday’s Big Jam beside the Big Fish.

🎻 Ulster Youth Orchestra Summer Concert
The Ulster Youth Orchestra takes over the Ulster Hall on Sunday for its annual summer concert.

🎵 The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers arrive at Custom House Square on Sunday night, with Brògeal joining them.

Five very different reasons to get out and experience Belfast this weekend.

What are you looking forward to most?

What a sight on Belfast Lough this week. ⛵️The GP14 World Championships 2026 - Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club came to...
14/08/2026

What a sight on Belfast Lough this week. ⛵️

The GP14 World Championships 2026 - Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club came to a close in Holywood today, after a week of racing on Belfast Lough.

Wildly contrasting conditions tested the crews throughout the championships, while dozens of sails and brightly coloured spinnakers created quite a spectacle out on the water.

A World Championship, right here on Belfast Lough.

And quite a way to spend an August week in Belfast.

Photos by Bradley Quinn

🎭 REVIEW | High Society at the Grand Opera HouseGlorious, glamorous and full of fun. High Society is classic musical the...
13/08/2026

🎭 REVIEW | High Society at the Grand Opera House

Glorious, glamorous and full of fun. High Society is classic musical theatre at its crowd pleasing best.

Cole Porter songs, big voices, plenty of laughs and a live orchestra all come together for a great night at the theatre.

One of our highlights is a brilliant jazz sequence towards the end of the first act, but there is plenty to enjoy throughout.

And our night actually started outside the theatre, where we spotted members of the cast in their dressing gowns watching the partial solar eclipse before heading inside for the show. 🌘

Sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy some proper old school musical theatre.

⭐ Read our full Belfast Times review on the website.

Review tickets provided by the Grand Opera House.

BelfastTimes

BELFAST NOTICEDLast night, walking through the city.City Hall lit against a dark sky. Someone still at work high above t...
13/08/2026

BELFAST NOTICED

Last night, walking through the city.

City Hall lit against a dark sky. Someone still at work high above the street. Statues appearing differently after dark. Tables outside, lights between the trees and a pink Metro bus passing through the city.

And a seat at the Grand Opera House for High Society.

Just Belfast, on an August evening, and a few things noticed along the way.

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