Belfast
Belfast Mela festival | Belfast
The Belfast Merah Festival, Northern Ireland's largest cultural diversity celebration, will take place from August 22nd to 30th, 2026, marking its milestone 20th anniversary. The nine-day festival will offer a diverse array of music, dance, food, theatre, arts, and wellness experiences across venues throughout the city, providing visitors with opportunities to experience global traditions, performances, and cuisine.
One of this year's highlights is *Earth Child*, a brand-new outdoor performance created to commemorate the festival's 20th anniversary. Held at the Titanic dock, this aerial spectacle tells the story of a child finding balance in a perilous world, guided by the four elements of wind, water, fire, and earth. The performance combines aerial dance, live music, drumming, storytelling, lighting effects, and fireworks, with performers suspended 35 meters above the ground on two towering cranes overlooking the Belfast waterfront.
The festival culminated in Mela Day at the Botanical Garden, the event's flagship celebration and largest public gathering. The park was transformed into a global village, offering international cuisine, handicrafts, performances, and cultural experiences. Five stages hosted live music and dance performances encompassing Bollywood Punjabi Bangla, Turkish folk songs, Brazilian samba, Japanese taiko drumming, Celtic-African fusion music, and Roma jazz.
Aug 22–Aug 30, 2026 (UTC)