The Belfast International Arts Festival continues to present world-class events across Northern Ireland through Nov. 3, showcasing dance, theatre, film, literature, visual and digital arts, as well as classical and roots music.
On Nov. 2 at The MAC, audiences will see The Lament for Art O’Leary, a staged presentation by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Paul Muldoon. Muldoon’s work reimagines a poem long regarded as the greatest love poem in the Irish language, set to music performed by the Irish Celtic rock band Horslips.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo performs at the Grand Opera House on Nov. 2–3. Known simply as The Trocks, this all‑male ballet company is celebrated for combining high technical skill with playful, comedic interpretation.
On Nov. 3, the Lecture Theatre at Belfast City Hospital’s Postgraduate Centre hosts a conversation between Rose George and Hugh Odling‑Smee, Nine Pints: A Journey Through the Mysterious, Miraculous World of Blood, exploring the science and cultural significance of the body’s vital fluid.
Further afield in southeast Ireland, the 67th Wexford Festival Opera season stages the European premiere of Dinner at Eight on Nov. 1 and Nov. 4, and a double bill of L’oracolo and Mala Vita on Nov. 3, continuing Wexford’s long tradition of presenting rare and compelling operatic repertoire.
The festivals offer diverse programming for a wide range of interests: from contemporary and classical music to dance that blends technical excellence with theatrical wit, and from literary events that reinterpret historic works to discussions that illuminate everyday science. Each venue presents an opportunity to experience high-quality performances and thoughtful conversation in both urban and regional settings.
Visitors and locals alike can expect carefully curated performances and talks through the closing dates. Whether attending a staged poetic adaptation, a comedic yet virtuosic ballet, a science and culture discussion, or rare operatic productions, the season delivers engaging and memorable arts experiences across Northern Ireland and southeast Ireland.