Belfast will spotlight its UNESCO City of Music status this summer as Belfast City Council and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann unveiled further details for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, taking place from Sunday 2 to Sunday 9 August. The update lands on a landmark date – exactly 75 years since the first Fleadh was held in Mullingar on 13–14 May 1951. Among the headline announcements, NI singer-songwriter Foy Vance will perform at the closing event on Sunday 9 August. The Bangor-born artist, signed to Ed Sheeran's Gingerbread Man Records, will also play an intimate pop-up gig during the week, with more information due next month. The finale will also feature a performance by the newly crowned winners of the Senior Céilí Band Competition. The competition itself takes place earlier that afternoon (Sunday 9 August) at the Waterfront Hall – widely regarded as the festival's pinnacle contest and a launchpad for major trad talent. Tickets are on sale now from fleadhcheoil.ie. Commissioned especially for the opening night on Sunday 2 August, the already announced 'Sharing Traditions' showcase will reflect the festival's ambition to 'celebrate together' by blending traditional Irish music with Dhol drummers, Indian dancers, flute and pipe bands, and Highland dancers. The collaboration sets the tone for an evening of performances that also includes traditional Irish music legend Sharon Shannon and her Big Band. On Friday 7 August, acclaimed Belfast composer, uilleann piper and cellist Neil Martin will direct Connections – a special multicultural music experience on the Gig Rig stage at City Hall. Working with ArtsEkta and a 12-strong cast of musicians and dancers, Martin will weave Irish traditional music with sounds from Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and beyond. Also on Friday evening, Lúnasa take to the main stage. On Thursday 6 August, Donegal's all-female Sí Fiddlers unite leading players from Glencolumcille to Inishowen, while the Titanic Slipways becomes the dramatic setting for the Ulster Bands showcase – a colourful celebration of Unionist and Ulster Scots culture led by Belfast Bands Forum, with Lambeg drumming, pipe bands and traditional Scottish dancing. Alongside the major showcases, there will be ceilís and singing seisiúns in the Europa Hotel, lectures and talks at the Linenhall Library, and recitals at 2 Royal Avenue. Full details of announced performances are at fleadhcheoil.ie, with ticketed events on sale from Friday 5 June. The spirit of Fleadh Cheoil will also animate the city through a packed fringe, celebrating Belfast's rich cultural diversity with art, dance, performances, family activities and community participation across the city centre and into local neighbourhoods. City centre highlights include NI Science Festival's Neuromusicology – a unique live show exploring the powerful relationship between the human brain and playing the harp – and the Golden Thread Gallery translating the rhythm and tempo of trad into a giant collaborative art canvas. Beat Carnival will bring its signature burst of high-energy, percussive music to the streets, while DJ Paddy will ramp up the atmosphere by marrying beats and bodhráns for the famous Trisco or trad disco – one of several ticketed gigs at the Limelight. The MAC will serve as the festival's Irish language hub, offering a week of language learning, music, art, storytelling and workshops delivered in Irish, while the Corn Exchange will host a programme promoting Ulster Scots language and tradition. Other venues staging events include Writers' Square, Saltwater Square, Craft NI, Central Library, Oh Yeah Music Centre, St Anne's Cathedral and the Black Box. Further information will be added to fleadhcheoil.ie in the coming weeks. Beyond the city centre, more than 50 official events are planned across north, south, east and west Belfast to enliven public spaces and engage communities before, during and after the Fleadh. Working with over 300 artists and 60 organisations, neighbourhood-based activities will span music, poetry, drama, visual arts and community gatherings. Highlights will include the Waterworks coming alive with pop-up music, storytelling and poetry stations around the lake, inspired by the dramatic Cave Hill backdrop; regenerated alleyways across south Belfast hosting céilís and community meals; storyteller Alex Campbell in the east of the city celebrating Irish oral traditions with tales of ancient heroes over coffee; and a guided folklore walk at Colin Glen Forest Park uncovering the hidden stories of native trees and plants. Voting has also concluded in the council's Bank of Ideas scheme, paving the way for a further 35 creative projects in local communities as part of Fleadh Cheoil, encouraging visitors to explore more of the city during their stay. Full details of the fringe and the successful Bank of Ideas projects will be announced in the coming weeks.