Northern Ireland will look to the past and the future in 2026 with compelling arts and heritage events and exhibitions.
With anniversary events celebrating some of the region’s top arts venues, new exhibitions about its history and a special focus on literary giants, Northern Ireland will be a fascinating and multi-layered destination in 2026.
Stage and screen
Belfast’s acclaimed Lyric Theatre will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2026 with a programme of timeless classics and innovative new works, as well as special events to honour its founder Mary O’Malley. As Northern Ireland’s only full-time producing theatre, the Lyric is known for its dynamic programming and inclusive outreach. Highlights of the spring programme include Christina Reid’s Tea in a China Cup and a gripping new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
The Strand Arts Centre will re-open in summer 2026 following a £6.5 million refurbishment that will restore and enhance its beautiful art-deco architecture and provide a fully modernised film and live performance venue. The new inclusive and fully accessible building will also have spaces for workshops to support creative and digital skills development.
American connections
As the USA gears up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, Northern Ireland will highlight the deep connections between its people and the first colonisers of North America.
At the Armagh Robinson Library a major exhibition, The United States of America: The Road to Independence, will run from January to July 2026. The Ulster American Folk Park, which follows the footsteps of emigrants from their rural Northern Irish beginnings to their new lives in the Americas, will also hold special events, while the Ulster-Scots Agency will delve into the stories of the Ulster-Scots diaspora and their indelible mark on American identity.
History and literary exhibitions
The story of the ‘Troubles’ is a fascinating narrative that many visitors are keen to explore on a visit to Northern Ireland. A new interactive exhibition, The Falls. Where the Troubles Began, explores the outbreak of conflict in the Falls area of Belfast (August 1969–July 1970) and its impact on local residents and the wider city. With imagery, oral archive boxes, eyewitness testimony, and a curated film with archival footage, it presents a very personal account of one of the city’s darkest periods.
Conflict is also the theme of a new programme at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, which celebrates the life and work of one of Ireland’s greatest writers. Conflict for International Students is a two-hour experience combining a guided tour of Seamus Heaney HomePlace with a workshop on conflict in his poetry.
Another Irish literary heavyweight is the subject of a new exhibition at Armagh Robinson Library. Gulliver’s Travels (July–December 2026) will celebrate the 300th anniversary of the publication of the seminal novel by Jonathan Swift. Among its displayed treasures, the library has Swift’s personal annotated copy of the book.
New arts bus tour
Arts across Belfast is a new bus tour that explores the best of Belfast’s vibrant arts and cultural scene. The guided tour journeys across the city to see sculptures, street art, galleries, music venues and the places where many great visual artists, writers, actors, directors and musicians were born or spent time.
The four-hour tour visits The MAC, Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s and EastSide Visitor Centre with a live performance at one of the four venues.
Derry Halloween 40th anniversary
Europe’s biggest Halloween festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year with another spectacular four-day spookfest (28–31 October). Derry Halloween, the world’s number one Halloween destination, will present its unique combination of mystical Celtic creatures, stunning light shows, street performers and an amazing carnival parade transforming the historic walled city into the realm of spirits and ancient Samhain rituals.
