Don’t miss a beat of Belfast’s musical experiences

From hip hop to trad, classical to punk, and pop, folk and jazz, music plays a significant part in the cultural fabric of Belfast, making it the perfect city break destination for music fans.

For those who want to get into the beat of its music scene, a new UNESCO City of Music Walking Tour and Performance is the latest way to experience the high notes of the capital of Northern Ireland.

The guided tour, which comes with a special live performance by one of the city’s great local musicians, covers the breadth of musical genres and local talent in Belfast, plus iconic music moments and tales of key musical happenings down the years.

Led by aficionado Dolores Vischer of Creative Tours Belfast, a passionate music fan and qualified green badge tourist guide, the tour takes in the famous Ulster Hall, city pubs and clubs, historic buildings, open-air performance spaces and even a church.

Dolores shines a light on every musical genre, with each stop and tale woven into Belfast’s political and social history.

Listen to snippets of music along the way and find out about some of the city’s rising stars of contemporary music, the traditional and folk music scenes, classical music, jazz and more.

The tour concludes in the buzzing Cathedral Quarter with a visit to the Oh Yeah Music Centre, the city’s creative music hub. Here you will see the centre’s Music Exhibition and enjoy an exclusive performance by a local musician from the current scene.

Each tour lasts three hours from 1.00 – 4.00pm, with several dates available in July, August and September. Tickets for all dates may be booked at Visit Belfast.

A sister city of Nashville, the world’s country music capital, Belfast is the first on the island of Ireland to receive coveted City of Music status, and after Liverpool and Glasgow, it’s only the third city in the UK to be given the honour.

Belfast’s traditional music roots run deep and there is always plenty going on in its trad scene. A rich vein of modern talent in different genres also continues to emerge, and from the Ulster Hall to McHugh’s and the Limelight, the city is filled with live music venues suitable for small and intimate gigs or the big sets of international superstars.

A top-notch annual programme of music festivals also keeps the music vibes flowing all year round.

Great ways to experience Belfast as a music city include taking the Belfast Traditional Music Trail, which starts in The Dirty Onion bar in the Cathedral Quarter, or jumping on a bus for the Belfast Music Tour. You can also pick up a trail map at Eastside Arts and spend a morning or afternoon walking the streets that have inspired Belfast’s most famous musical son, the legendary Sir Van Morrison.

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