Belfast has capped a landmark week as Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 far exceeded projections, with the city hosting the world's biggest celebration of Irish music and culture for the first time.

Belfast One Business Improvement District recorded 1,653,999 people in the city core from Sunday 2 August to Sunday 9 August — more than twice the 800,000-plus visitors initially forecast by Belfast City Council, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Ards CCÉ.

For the same week in 2025, footfall stood at 874,925, representing an 89% year-on-year increase. The total also more than doubled the 750,000 who attended the 2025 Fleadh in Wexford.

Across the board, the week proved record-breaking for the city, with public transport usage, visitor spend and hotel occupancy all performing strongly, following Belfast City Council's successful bid to host the event in March 2025.

Saturday was the busiest day overall, with 289,560 people counted by six Belfast One BID cameras within a one-square-mile radius around City Hall — the highest daily total this year and the biggest since current data collection began in 2018. Translink reported over 1.7 million passenger journeys across its network during the eight days — more than 620,000 above the equivalent period last year — as residents and visitors heeded advice to leave the car at home and use bus, train and Park and Ride services.

Initial data from Visit Belfast shows an accommodation occupancy rate of 84.6%, with hotels, B&Bs, student residences and short-term lets in demand, while the two official Fleadh campsites were at full capacity for the final weekend.

While the final economic impact will take time to calculate, early reports from hospitality venues indicate strong trading throughout the week.

Online engagement was also significant: the Fleadh Cheoil website attracted two million users, including 578,000 during the week itself. More than 300 accredited media outlets and journalists generated an estimated €13.6 million in Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) among local, national and international audiences in the lead-up to and during the event.

A 1,300-strong volunteer team distributed 200,000 what's on guides and maps to visitors. Over 5,000 competitors from 22 countries took part in more than 200 competitions across the final three days.

Beyond the competitions, the programme featured 438 official events, including 107 acts on the main Gig Rig stage. In total, more than 90 venues were involved — over 50 of them in neighbourhood locations — helping deliver a vibrant fringe that brought the Fleadh to every corner of the city.