Previewing the 2025 Belfast International Arts Festival – theatre, dance, music, magic ... and raw chicken (14 October–9 November) #BIAF25

Belfast International Arts Festival starts today and the programme (PDF) looks like a bumper year for theatre in particular.

Ireland’s National Dance Company is back in Belfast with a revival of Emma Martin’s Dancehall. // Wednesday 15 October at The MAC. (sold out)

Jolene O’Hara lends her spine-tingling voice to Richard Clements’ Ottilie, based on the life of Northern Ireland blues singer Ottilie Patterson who grew up in Comber, sang with the best blues artists touring the UK, performed in the US, but then became a recluse. // Wednesday 15–Friday 24 October at Grand Opera House Studio Theatre. (reviewed)

Unreconciled is based on the true story of a young lad cast as Jesus in a Philadelphia school play directed by a parish priest. A survivor’s journey to confront his past, find his voice, and navigate the reparations program set up by the Catholic Church. Powerful, heartbreaking … but also promises to be hilarious. Friday 17–Sunday 19 October at the Lyric Theatre. (reviewed)

If you enjoyed last year’s dance Wild performed on a scaffolding forest, there’s more free aerial theatre to enjoy on the afternoon of Saturday 18 October in CS Lewis Square. Anchored in Air is a fusion of circus, dance, text and live music with flying wheelchairs, and acrobatics from the disabled and non-disabled cast.

One of my all-time favour shows from Richard Wakely’s festival programming was Pending Vote in 2013 where the audience controlled some the narrative – or thought they did! This year, Nathan Ellis beings his theatrical experiment Instructions to Belfast following its 2024 Edinburgh Fringe success. Each night a different unrehearsed actors steps on stage ready to react to real-time prompts as a story unfolds and a life unspools. Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 October in Lyric Theatre.

John Morton’s Denouement fast forwards to 2048 where Edel (Anna Healy) and Liam (Patrick O’Kane) are living out their final hours in a remote Irish farmhouse. Bickering in the face of the apocalypse. Holding and sharing secrets. Tragic, absurd and funny. Tuesday 21 October–Saturday 15 November in Lyric Theatre. (reviewed)

When a man ‘Older’ returns to the abandoned house of his use, he meets the memory of his first love. As the home collapses around them, Older relives the electricity and heartbreak of a hidden romance. Ciarán Haggarty’s The Upside Down House is directed by Patrick J O’Reilly and produced by Tinderbox Theatre. Wednesday 22 October–2 Sunday 2 November in The MAC. (reviewed)

Dylan Quinn’s My Grandfather’s House received is an intimate physical performance by a grandfather and a grandson within a reconstructed 1970’s living room that holds just four audience members. Tuesday 28 October–Sunday 2 November in a secret location. (already sold out)

Big Telly Theatre Company are back with a razor-sharp ensemble bringing to life a horror-filled fever dream Faust-ish from the pen of Nicola McCartney. Distraction, desperation and desperate deals under the direction of Zoe Seaton. Wednesday 29 October–Sunday 9 November in Lyric Theatre. (reviewed)

Cahoots NI are presenting the Northern Ireland premiere of The Musicians of Bremen Live! inspired by the Grimm’s fairy tale with live music, storytelling and surprises as Ruffles the lost hen meets Mule, Bobcat and Coyote and chase their dream to be a famous band. Thursday 30 October–Sunday 2 November in Cityside Retail Park. Age 5+. (reviewed)

Magician Caolan McBride is on stage Unlocking Sherlock and exploring the connections between deduction and deception in another Cahoots NI show. Thursday 30 October–Sunday 2 November in Cityside Retail Park. Age 16+. (reviewed)

Off the Rails Dance is showing a work in progress from Eileen McClory. BPM: Barneys, Parties and Melters plunges into the 1990s-2000s rave scene in Northern Ireland with energy, euphoria, and lots of sweat in a blend of contemporary dance, theatre and archive material from that era. Saturday 1 November in the Brian Friel Theatre (next to the QFT).

With instruments crafted from PVC pipes, paint cans, and shampoo bottles, HOOLA is an electrifying collective from Daegu city in Korea that reimagine opera arias and EDM anthems through the pulse of upcycled sound. Tuesday 4 November at The MAC.

Acclaimed author Bernie McGill will be in conversation with High Odling-Smee about her archive and her career. Friday 7 November in The Linen Hall.

And the annual Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition will be open in the Ulster Museum from Sunday 19 October until January 2026.

Another exhibition in the programme caught my eye. Raw Chicken will be performed live by Éabha Campbell and Indigo Azidahaka, a Dada-inflected performance that is participatory rather than passive with puppetry, costume and nonsense narration. Saturday 8 November in Queen Street Studio. (Exhibition runs Thursday 9 October–Thursday 13 November.)

The majority of this year’s theatre/dance programme is showcasing locally-created work rather than bringing international work to Belfast (which is admittedly cost-prohibitive, particularly for anything larger than a solo-performer show). It’s Richard Wakely’s last year at the festival’s helm and it’ll be interesting to see how Chris McCreery puts his stamp on next year’s programme. One of his achievements has been a persistence in showcasing local and international dance, though it’s mostly only the circus/acrobatic acts that have drawn sizeable audiences. A decade and a half ago, the talks events were a particularly vibrant aspect to the programme, bringing colourful, challenging and often high-profile guests to Belfast and packing out good-sized venues. Better defining what makes BIAF ‘international’ and distinct from other large festivals should be a key priority for McCreery to address.

You can browse the full programme on the festival website or the brochure.