What's On in Belfast

EVERYWHERE AT ONCE: Belfast City Blues Festival - The Rory Gallagher Tribut — The Belfast City Blues Festival kicks off its afternoon session at The Black Box with a tribute to Rory Gallagher, the Cork-born guitar legend who remains one of Ireland's most electric musical exports. Expect raw, fiery playing that captures everything that made Gallagher a hero to musicians from Slash to Brian May — all in one of Belfast's most intimate and characterful venues. Doors open at 1:30pm, so get there early and let the blues do its work. Check website for tickets.

Anthony Toner — Singer-songwriter Anthony Toner brings his warm, literate brand of acoustic music to The Belfast Barge at 1:30pm — a venue where the gentle sway of the water and the close-up intimacy of the space make every performance feel like a private concert. Toner is a masterful storyteller whose songs reward close listening, and at £12 this is an afternoon well spent on the Lagan. A genuinely lovely way to ease into what promises to be a big night across the city.

Sonny Fodera — Australian house music heavyweight Sonny Fodera takes over Ormeau Park at 6:00pm in what looks set to be one of the biggest outdoor moments of the Belfast summer. Known for his silky, groove-driven productions that have lit up Ibiza and beyond, Fodera brings serious dancefloor credentials to a park setting that lets the music breathe under an open sky. Check the website for tickets — and do not leave it too long.

Alanis Morissette Tribute - Rugged Little Pill — Hands up if you know every single word to You Oughta Know — because Rugged Little Pill are banking on it. This touring Alanis Morissette tribute hits The Limelight 2 at 7:30pm for a show that promises to drag the raw, angst-ridden brilliance of Jagged Little Pill back into the room in all its nineties glory. It is the kind of night where strangers end up singing at the top of their lungs together, and honestly that is exactly what a Saturday should feel like. Check website for tickets.

EVERYWHERE AT ONCE: Belfast City Blues Festival - The Clara Rose Big Band — The Belfast City Blues Festival closes out its Black Box programme in serious style with The Clara Rose Big Band taking the stage at 8:30pm. A big band blues sound is a rare and joyful thing — full-bodied horns, swinging rhythms, and a frontperson who knows how to command a room — and this promises to be one of the warmest, most exhilarating sets of the entire weekend. Check website for tickets and make sure this one is on your radar.

Swiftogeddon - The Taylor Themed Club Night - Belfast — Starting at 9:00pm at The Belfast Empire Music Hall, Swiftogeddon is exactly what it sounds like: a full-on, unapologetically joyful club night built entirely around the music of Taylor Swift, and it is an absolute phenomenon wherever it lands. The Empire is the perfect backdrop — grand, a little theatrical, and big enough to fit a crowd of Swifties in their full sequinned glory. Whether you are a lifelong fan or just someone who knows they will have the best night of the month, this one is not to be missed. Check website for tickets.