Belfast International Arts Festival has unveiled a programme of more than 200 events for its 64th edition, spreading theatre, dance, music, literature, visual art and immersive work across more than 30 venues.
The festival runs from 14 October to 8 November and will welcome artists from 19 countries alongside work made in Northern Ireland.
Highlights include Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien at the Ulster Hall, broadcaster and author Simon Mayo, a world premiere from Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company, and a new immersive-arts strand centred on Studio Ulster.
The programme also continues an international dance exchange connecting Belfast, Cairo and Palestine, while an International Showcase will bring cultural leaders from more than 30 cities to see work by Northern Irish artists and companies.
A festival of this size is not just a stack of tickets. For several weeks it turns galleries, theatres, concert halls and unusual spaces across Belfast into one connected cultural map, with free events woven through the programme as well as the headline names.