One of the island’s most beloved and long running festivals is back for 11 days of live music, comedy, film, literature, visual art and more!
This year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival takes place from 2-12 May, and features over 100 acts – big, small and everything in-between – in dozens of venues across Belfast’s historic cultural quarter and beyond.
The traditional festival marquee at Custom House Square will feature headlining performances from Nadine Shah, Hollie McNish, Ibibio Sound Machine, stone cold soul legend P.P. Arnold (plus guest Bronagh Gallagher), teenage blues sensation Muireann Bradley, the definitive Neil Young tribute act Harvest, the manic magical genius of comedian Jerry Sadowitz, Baxter Dury, Ireland’s most popular author Marian Keyes, The Dodge Brothers (featuring one Mark Kermode on double bass), Mick Flannery and festival favourite Janey Godley returns to Belfast after beating cancer, armed with a new documentary film (featuring CQAF!) and a lacerating stand-up comedy set.
Elsewhere, in one of the strongest music programmes this year, the line-up includes Robert Finley, Snapped Ankles, Conchúr White, TVAM, Kimmie Rhodes, Lau (unplugged), C Duncan, Oisin Leech, Tom Robinson, Lemoncello, Zoe Conway & John Mcintyre, Katherine Priddy, Oisin Leech, Jane Weaver, The Handsome Family and DJ sets from Mr Scruff, Lack of Afro, Justin Robertson and DJ Format.
And the Festival is thrilled to present the remarkable Joel Harkin this year’s Artist in Residence. Joel is a singer of songs and a spinner of yarns from County Donegal. His 2020 album Never Happy was shortlisted for the NI Music Prize and is one of the standout Irish releases in recent years.
There’s books and talks aplenty from multiple award-winning Irish author Sinéad Gleeson, Sara Pascoe will be talking about her new novel “Weirdo”, Annie McManus in conversation about a life of music, books and broadcasting. CQAF is thrilled to welcome the very legendary Phil Manzanera (of Roxy Music amongst many others) with his acclaimed new memoir “‘Revólución to Roxy’”. The auteur’s Auteur Luke Haines is back with a new tome – the thrillingly titled “Freaks Out! Weirdos, Misfits Deviants – The Rise and Fall of Righteous Rock ’n’ Roll”, and Daniel Rachel will be in conversation about his new book on the 2 Tone Records Story – “Too Much Too Young”.
The CQAF film programme includes a very special 50th anniversary screening of everyone’s favourite horror comedy – Young Frankenstein, which will take place in the gothic surrounds of St Patrick’s Church. The N Irish premiere of Birdsong – the incredible account of ornithologist Sean Ronayne’s attempt to record the song of every single bird in Ireland – that’s nearly 200! CQAF will also be presenting the Irish premiere of Big Banana Feet – the great Billy Connolly documentary about his Irish tour of 1975 (which culminated in a performance in the old ABC cinema in Belfast) – long thought lost but now lovingly restored in 4k.
The enigmatic genius that is Daniel Kitson will be making a live rare foray, performing a brand new show “Collaborator: A work in Progress” where the audience are part of the script!
And there’s theatre from Big Telly with “The Worst Café in the World” and Tinderbox Theatre Co’s production of “I’ve always liked the Name Marcus. Jack Doherty brings his intimate Edinburgh smash “David Bowie and Me” to Belfast. Hildegard Ryan and Eva O’Connor – the people that brought the award-winning “Mustard” to life at CQAF last year return with the equally visceral “Chicken” We also welcome‘acclaimed clown’ and emerging idiot Frankie Thompson with CAttS – one of the Guardian’s top five shows of last year, plus the celebrated essay on the life of one Oscar Wilde – “Work is the Curse of the Drinking Classes”, a one man tour de force by Will Govan.
The CQAF visual arts programme includes “mother tongue” at The Mac – which is a who’s who of great local artists, new work from Éabha Campbell at Catalyst Arts, featuring a synthesis of traditional oil painting and sound and video installation, the two site exhibition “Smoke” – from international artists and guerilla practitioners Shiro Masayamas and Leopold Kessler, and “Bua an Chultúir/Victory of Culture” – an exhibition of sculpture from Farhad O’Neill.
Hit the North Street Art Festival returns to enliven the spaces and places between festival venues, and while you’re on your feet, why not join one of our many walking tours – from Black Belfast to the Cilfton St Cemetery Tour…
Festival director Sean Kelly said he was delighted at this year’s line-up:
“We always try and make increasingly little go a long way, and this year I hope we’ve achieved that in spades. I think there’s an abundance and diversity of great stuff in the 24th festival programme – it’s a celebration of the best of local and international talent. I hate the old cliché something for everyone, but sometimes it just happens to be true!
Come and join us in May and find out for yourself!”
Full programme at www.cqaf.com