- Belfast Mela Festival celebrates 20th anniversary from 22-30 August 2026
- Earth Child outdoor spectacle takes place at Titanic Slipways on 23 August with performers suspended 35 metres in the air
- Mela Carnival begins 22 August at Writer’s Square with parade to City Hall
- Mela Day at Botanic Gardens on 30 August from 12 noon to 6pm
- Earth Child tickets are free with advance booking required
ArtsEkta has announced the 20th Belfast Mela Festival, Ireland’s largest celebration of cultural diversity, running from 22–30 August, featuring an exciting programme of global music, dance, theatre, food, wellbeing, art and immersive experiences, including the spectacular new outdoor production Earth Child. The free Earth Child outdoor theatre spectacle takes place on Sunday 23 August at Titanic Slipways, Belfast. Fidget Feet aerialist Shauna Maunsell, ArtsEkta CEO and Belfast Mela founder Nisha Tandon and Fiona Cunningham, ROI Market Manager, Tourism NI were pictured on Dublin’s Millennium Bridge ahead of the festival.
Produced by ArtsEkta in collaboration with leading Limerick based aerial dance company Fidget Feet and acclaimed Irish artist Gráinne Holland, the show is set on the iconic Titanic Slipways with performers soaring above the Belfast skyline from two towering cranes, suspended a thrilling 35 metres in the air. Blending aerial dance, global drumming, storytelling, original music, lighting effects and fiery pyrotechnics, Earth Child features hundreds of performers in a story that speaks to our times — reminding us we are all connected.
Since its beginnings in 2006, Belfast Mela has grown from a small community gathering into one of Ireland’s best-loved arts festivals and a cornerstone of our cultural calendar. For 20 years Mela has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors and showcased artists from across the island of Ireland and around the world, introducing audiences to new cultures, traditions and experiences. The 20th Belfast Mela Festival starts on Saturday 22 August at Writer’s Square, Belfast at noon as the Mela Carnival lights up the streets of Belfast with colour, rhythm and joy as hundreds of artists and community participants in traditional dress parade to City Hall, accompanied by world beats, dazzling floats and infectious energy. The festival’s grand finale, Mela Day, returns to Botanic Gardens on Sunday 30 August from 12 noon to 6pm.
Nisha Tandon, Founder of Belfast Mela and CEO of ArtsEkta, shared “since its beginnings in 2006, Belfast Mela has grown from a small community gathering into one of Ireland’s best-loved arts festivals and a cornerstone of our cultural calendar.”
Fiona Cunningham, Market Manager, Tourism NI, shared “Tourism NI is delighted to support the Belfast Mela again this year through our International Tourism Events Fund.”
