Next week isn't just another week in the city.

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is finally here. Hundreds of thousands of visitors, music on almost every street corner and the biggest cultural event Belfast has ever hosted.

We've also got Barack Obama heading to Belfast, a new face joining Belfast Insider, big retail names arriving in the city and a date-night recommendation you'll probably want to bookmark.

Here’s what’s worth knowing this week→

Only the good news, promise.

Before you head into town, we’ve pulled together everything you need to know. 

For one week, the city becomes a stage as Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann arrives for the first time, bringing hundreds of events, thousands of musicians and around 800,000 visitors into Belfast.

The biggest moments might not be the ones printed on the programme.

It could be a session spilling out of a Cathedral Quarter pub. Someone picking up an instrument in the street. A crowd gathering because a tune started and nobody wanted to leave.

But before you head into town, there are a few things worth knowing:

🚗 City centre driving restrictions
🚌 Park & Ride locations
🍴 Food spots to know
🎻 Where to find the best trad sessions
🏨 Accommodation options
📍 Where the atmosphere will be best enjoyed

We’ve put together the complete Belfast Insider guide to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann Belfast 2026, so you can spend less time figuring out the logistics and more time enjoying the music.

💬Are you diving into the crowds for the Fleadh, or waiting for the quieter streets after?

👉 Read the full Fleadh guide →

Last year, if you wanted "An Evening with President Barack Obama," you were booking flights to Dublin or London.

This year, you just need to get yourself to the O2.

Belfast has been added to Obama's UK and Ireland tour for 2026, alongside Glasgow and Manchester, with The O2 Belfast hosting its date on 13 October. Glasgow's OVO Hydro follows the next night, before Manchester's Co-op Live on 15 October. 

It's the sort of announcement that makes you do a double take. Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester are the only UK stops on this run. Not bad company.  

The format is a live, in-conversation show rather than a speech. Obama will discuss "what comes next for America, and for all of us," with a guest moderator yet to be announced.

The last time Obama visited Northern Ireland was 13 years ago for the G8 summit in June 2013.

🎟️ Tickets go on general sale Friday 31 July at 10am.

💬Would you go see Obama in Belfast, or is this more of a "nice to have him visit Belfast again" moment?

👉 Find out more about An Evening with President Barack Obama →

Belfast stories are better when you can see the people behind them.

That’s why we’re delighted to welcome Fifi Ali as Belfast Insider’s first-ever Creator in Residence.

If you spend any time on Belfast Instagram, you’ll probably recognise Fifi. Her videos have built a following by showing the city with curiosity, humour and a genuine love for the people and places that make Belfast what it is.

Now, she’ll be helping us bring more of those stories to life.

Expect hidden gems, local businesses, interesting people and the Belfast moments that don’t always make the headlines, but are exactly why we love this city.

The newsletter isn't going anywhere. We're just giving these stories another way to find you. 

Same city. More ways to discover it. 

Want to see more of the Belfast spots, people and hidden gems we write about? Follow us on Instagram, where Fifi will be bringing them to life every week. 

👀What Belfast place, person or hidden gem should Fifi discover first?

👉 Meet Fifi, Belfast Insider’s first Creator in Residence →

Openings, Closures & Buzz Around Town

 Big brands keep landing in Northern Ireland

Two very different brands. One clear trend.

Belfast's retail and food scene keeps attracting names that would have once skipped straight past Northern Ireland.

First up: The North Face is coming to Victoria Square, opening its first stand-alone store in Northern Ireland. The outdoor clothing brand is already a familiar sight on hiking trails, airport queues and basically any rainy day in Belfast. Now shoppers will have a proper store in the city, with work already under way on the lower ground floor. No opening date has been confirmed yet.

And it's not just clothing. Wingstop is also continuing its Northern Ireland expansion, opening its third local restaurant in Craigavon's Rushmere Shopping Centre, after launches on Boucher Crescent in March and Dundonald in April. The chicken chain has built a serious following online, with fans regularly queuing for new openings, Craigavon being no different.

One sells waterproof jackets. The other sells wings.

Different businesses but same story. More brands are starting to see Northern Ireland as somewhere worth investing. 

What brand would you still love to see open in Belfast? 👀

🔗Newsletter | Belfast Live

Your guide to what’s on across Belfast & Northern Ireland

This is the one.

From Sunday, Belfast becomes the centre of traditional music, song and dance as Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann arrives for the first time.

Expect music everywhere, from official venues to pubs, streets and the places where someone starts playing and suddenly everyone gathers around.

📍 Various venues across Belfast
📅 Sunday 2 August – Sunday 9 August

👉 Full Fleadh guide →

A quieter one, but worth a wander.

Craft NI’s new exhibition celebrates contemporary craft and makers, giving you a chance to see some of the creative work happening across Northern Ireland.

📍 Craft NI Gallery
📅 Until August 2026
🕙 10am–5pm

👉 Find out more →

If you fancy swapping trad sessions for musical theatre, Waitress brings its feel-good mix of comedy, friendship and plenty of pie-making drama to Belfast.

📍 Grand Opera House
📅 Thursday 30 July – Saturday 1 August

👉 Book tickets →

Food, drink and a lot of local flavour.

Belfast Whiskey Week brings tastings, events and experiences across the city, while BIA Fest adds even more food and drink options into the mix.

📍 Various venues across Belfast
📅 Throughout the week

👉 Explore events →

A few other picks:

👀What’s on your Belfast calendar this week? 🎟️

Some of Belfast's best stories never make it onto television.

Since 2007, Brassneck Theatre Company has been telling them on stage instead.

Based in west Belfast, the award-winning company creates theatre rooted in local communities, working-class life and the sort of humour you'll instantly recognise if you've spent any time here.

Productions like The Belfast Caddy, The Holy Holy Bus and Man in the Moon have built a loyal following by putting local voices front and centre.

If you've never been to a Brassneck production, this might be your sign. Local stories, local actors and local audiences. Exactly the sort of thing Belfast does well. 

👉 Learn more

Sometimes you don't need a fancy tasting menu. You just need someone to tell you, "Go here. You'll have a great night."

One Belfast creator finally got a child-free night out after more than a year. 

Her verdict? Amelia Hall absolutely delivered.

The table was loaded with the pollo pizza, ragù pasta, arancini and parmesan fries, all shared family-style. They even do gluten-free options, which immediately earned a place on the family's "we're coming back" list. 

It wasn't a polished food critic review. It was someone saying, "I had a brilliant night here." Great food, a lively atmosphere and one of those evenings that reminds you why date nights matter. 

If you're looking for your next Belfast city centre dinner spot, this might be it.

💬Over to you: What's the one Belfast restaurant you'd recommend without even looking at the menu? 🍽️

Watch the review by Aoifee Kelly

@davidleedrone caught the Galeón Andalucía, a full-scale replica of a 17th-century Spanish galleon gliding down the River Lagan on a misty, rain-soft evening, masts and rigging lit up gold against the dark water as it made its way past Titanic Quarter to dock near the O2.

Some ships are worth stopping for. 

What are you most excited for in Belfast this week?

🎻 Fleadh atmosphere

🎭 Shows and events

🍴 Food and drink spots

🎥 Fifi's Belfast videos 

Vote here →

Seen something we should know about?

Reply to this email with your tips, recommendations or hidden gems. We'd love to hear from you.

At's us na. 🍻

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Have a brilliant week, and if we see you at the Fleadh, come and say hello.

Team Belfast Insider 💛