A reception at Áras an Uachtaráin has marked the countdown to the first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to take place in Belfast. An estimated 800,000 visitors are expected in the city from 2 to 9 August for the landmark cultural celebration.

Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald attended the event alongside partners and stakeholders. She said the Fleadh would boost tourism, support local businesses and showcase Belfast.

This year’s festival is set to be one of the most culturally diverse in its history. The opening ceremony, titled Sharing Traditions, will bring together Irish traditional music with Dhol drummers, Indian dancers, flute and pipe bands, and Highland dancers. Belfast composer Neil Martin will direct Connections, a multicultural performance blending Irish music with influences from Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. An Ulster Bands showcase in the Titanic Quarter, led by the Belfast Bands Forum, will highlight loyalist and Ulster Scots musical traditions.

Competitions will feature solo instruments, céilí bands and pipe bands, with participants travelling from the United States, Australia, Dubai and Japan. Traditional music sessions will emerge in pubs, restaurants, hotels and on city streets. The Gig Rig at City Hall will stage large outdoor performances, and a programme of fringe events will include dance, visual art, workshops, talks and storytelling. The NI Science Festival will present Neuromusicology, a live exploration of the connection between the brain and harp playing.

The Metropolitan Arts Centre will serve as an Irish language hub during the Fleadh. A week of free daily taster classes, a tea and chat space, and a family room for natural Irish conversation are planned. Staff who have earned Silver Fáinnes, along with fluent speakers, will be identifiable for visitors to practice. Irish-language film screenings will include Mise Éire, Róise and Frank, and An Cailín Ciúin. Professor Fionntán de Brún will lead a history walk on the Irish language in the city.

Free Irish classes are continuing at the Juice Jar café on Wellington Place in partnership with An Droichead. The six-week programme, taught by April Ní hÍr, runs every Monday at 6.30pm until 24 August. More than 40 people attended the opening class, including a family from Larne. An Droichead expects participants to enroll in further courses in September.

Community station Raidió Fáilte will carry out a 24-hour live broadcast from 7am on Friday 24 July to 7am Saturday 25 July as part of Féile an Phobail. Talk shows, music and late-night DJ sets will fill the schedule. The public can visit the Divis Street studio between 10am and 2pm on Friday.

At Cumann Cultúrtha Mhic Reachtain, Scoil Samhraidh Mhic Reachtain runs until 31 July with sean-nós singing classes led by Róise Ní Mhurchú and Róisín Chambers. The free sessions require no registration. A German tourist joined after seeing a notice online and left with some Irish phrases.