Belfast is experiencing an influx of visitors this week for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, with Sunday’s opening event helping to make it the busiest day in the city centre so far this year.
Hosts Belfast City Council, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Ards CCÉ have this afternoon welcomed data released today by Belfast One Business Improvement District which shows total recorded footfall of 176,464 in the city core on Sunday 2 August – a 95% increase for the location from the same day the previous year.
Sunday’s figures show the opening day of the Fleadh has outperformed previous big event draws in the city centre, including this year’s St Patrick’s Day and Belfast Pride celebrations, as well as last year’s Culture Night.
Crowds peaked at around 3pm on Sunday, with footfall figures of just under 25,000 for the area around City Hall.
Statistics for yesterday (Monday 3 August) also show footfall figures of 165,077 – a 75% increase on the same day last year. The data is taken from Belfast One BID cameras which track footfall in the square mile around City Hall.
Visitor numbers of over 800,000 had been anticipated across the eight days of the event, which runs until Sunday 9 August. Today’s figures indicate strong turnout for the event so far, with a further five days of music and celebration still to come, including All-Ireland competitions beginning on Friday and running until Sunday – traditionally the busiest days of the Fleadh.
The high footfall has led organisers to take the decision to close the roads directly in front of and to the sides of City Hall – Wellington Place, Donegall Square North, Donegall Square East and Donegall Square West – to all traffic from 5am tomorrow morning (Wednesday 5 August) to support people to move around safely.
These roads will now be closed to all traffic from tomorrow until the event finishes on Sunday evening, further extending the pedestrianised event zone, as part of the phased road closures put in place by Belfast City Council.
There will be adjustments to some Translink pick-up and drop-off points as a result, along with service diversions in place for the rest of the week. Passengers are encouraged to follow the advice of staff and volunteers on site, keep updated via the Translink website and the Journey Planner app, plan ahead, expect services to be busy and leave extra time for their journey.
With thousands of additional passenger journeys already made this week, Translink have added enhanced capacity and frequency across the public transport network, and will continue to monitor demand as the event continues.
The road at the lower end of Chichester Street, along with Donegall Square South, will remain open, and pedestrians are urged to take care, use road crossings and follow the directions of event stewards and volunteers.
Public hire taxis – who currently use the ranks at Donegall Square North and Donegall Square East – can make use of Upper Arthur Street and back onto Chichester Street for the next available rank.
On Day 3 of the Fleadh, there’s been plenty on the menu for residents and visitors keen to enjoy what’s on offer, including a taste of the city’s hospitality and food businesses, local crafts, artisan and independent traders.
Among the destinations proving popular are the official Food and Drink Village in the grounds of Belfast Cathedral, bringing together local traders, growers and producers in a vibrant, family‑friendly space. The village is open daily - to 8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, then from 10am to 11pm on Thursday through to Sunday.
Always a weekend favourite, St George’s Market is open all this week too, from 10am to 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday), with extended opening from 10am to 10pm, Thursday to Sunday.
Smithfield Market hours have also been extended for the festivities, trading until 9pm on Thursday and Friday, along with extra opening hours on Sunday 9 August (1pm-6pm) also.
Over at the ICC Belfast, the Craic and Craft Market is bringing more foodie treats with artisan producers and family entertainment, from 10am to 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday) and 10am to 10pm, Thursday to Sunday.
Around 100 businesses have also set up shop along High Street, Bridge Street and Royal Avenue, offering hot food, crafts and souvenirs, while new pop-up hospitality venues and independent cafés, restaurants, bars and food producers are all offering Fleadh taster menus, special promotions, performance spaces for musicians and late‑night snacks and drinks.
For more information on what’s on at the Fleadh, visit fleadhcheoil.ie and follow Fleadh Cheoil on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.