Also, featuring  a summer school and a full programme of concerts, workshops, talks, lectures, sessions, céilís & festival club, this week is the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland and brings together both the Irish and the Ulster-Scots musical traditions, in a shared celebration of culture & heritage.

Festival headliner and set to be an ‘I was there moment’ is Sharon Shannon Big Band at Ulster Hall  on Friday 29th July.

Opening the show will be Hothouse Flowers’ frontman Liam Ó Maonlaí, performing a rare solo set with grand piano, bodhrán & tin-whistle followed by Sharon Shannon’s eclectic six piece band

Belfast TradFest events will run across many of the city’s well known venues.

A cornerstone of Belfast TradFest is the summer school, which is five days of  masterclasses, Monday 25th – Friday 29th July 10am – 1pm, at Ulster University, York Street. The summer school’s team of tutors is made up of internationally renowned performers with proven track records as teachers and educationalists across music, song and dance. There are a range of classes to suit all ages and abilities from beginners to advanced.