Fiona Cunningham, Republic of Ireland Manager, Tourism Northern Ireland. Anne McMullan, Director of Marketing Visit Belfast, Richard Wakely, Artistic Director, Belfast International Arts Festival, Sarah Hamilton,-Cardy, PR and Communications Manager Titanic Belfast.

As Autumn takes hold and dark nights draw in, Belfast has a fantastic line up of events and festivals that will get your pulse racing. Music, theatre, dance, film, comedy, or visiting somewhere new, there’s a feast of festivals and entertainment to be enjoyed.

“Autumn is a really special time to visit Belfast” said Anne McMullan, Visit Belfast’s Director of Marketing and Communications.  “It’s the time of year when the city really comes alive with a vibrant and fun-filled calendar of world-class entertainment, cultural highlights and special events.

“Voted Lonely Planet’s No.1 region to visit in 2018, Belfast has seen six new hotels open this year already, including the 300-room Grand Central Hotel and another two hotels are due to open by the end of 2018.  With over 1,200 additional rooms, Belfast really does have a great range of accommodation to choose from.

“We’re looking forward to rolling-out our autumn campaign in Dublin later this month with Tourism NI; with the aim of encouraging visitors from the Greater Dublin and border county areas to come see, play and stay in Belfast.”

Twelve premieres, performers from twelve countries and over 120 events, the Belfast International Arts Festival will again bring an eclectic fusion of cutting edge performances from 16th October to 3rd November. Festival Director, Richard Wakely, is looking forward to the 56th edition of one of Ireland’s leading contemporary arts event.

“This year’s festival has so many highlights  - Italian star of stage and screen Isabella Rosselini with her one woman show Link Link, Africa’s premier diva and multi-Grammy award winner Angelique Kidjo touring her version of the iconic Talking Heads album and American folk and blues legend Eric Bibb and local playwright Marie Jones’ brand new play Arabella. With 10 World and Irish premieres, we hope to draw visitors from far and wide to Belfast.”

Voted National Geographic Traveller’s ‘Rising Star’ at their travel awards at the end of 2017, Belfast has established itself as a year-round city break destination. Fiona Cunningham, Tourism NI (ROI Market) believes Belfast is an ideal option for visitors from the Republic of Ireland:

“Only two hours from Dublin, Belfast is ideally located for a city break and with the Lonely Planet accolade for 2018, we are encouraging visitors to book now. On top of the World’s Leading Visitor Attraction (2016), Titanic Belfast, we have exclusive events like ‘Dippy on Tour’, the first time Dippy the Diplodocus has ventured from the Natural History Museum in London since 1905. There are a number of international sports events such as a festival of hockey on Thanksgiving weekend and American College Basketball ‘Hall of Fame’, both at the SSE Arena”.

Belfast is one of Europe’s most exciting cities, from its Michelin-starred restaurants and legendary nightlife to a phenomenal Titanic history. There is a palpable buzz and a fantastic line up of things to see and do. Autumn in the city is electric with concerts and top events to rooftop bars and a thriving restaurant scene.

To book your short break to Belfast and view all the latest events, go to www.visitbelfast.com and www.discovernorthernireland.com