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music · Friday 31 July 2026 · Various 
7 Hills Blues Fest Armagh 2026
At Various Venues, Armagh City · City Centre, Armagh, Co. Armagh
At Various Venues, Armagh City · City Centre, Armagh, Co. Armagh
Every summer, Armagh city gives itself over to blues and roots music for three days running, and the 7 Hills Blues Fest has become one of the most distinctive free music events on the island. Now in its ninth year, this is not a single-stage affair tucked into a park - it spreads across 15 venues and more than 20 locations throughout the cathedral city, so the music follows you down the street. The format suits seasoned festivalgoers who want to build their own day and people who simply stumble across a set while they’re out for a walk. Families, music obsessives and anyone who has never seen a blues band in their life will all find a way in.
The 2026 programme runs to more than 40 free gigs across the weekend, taking in a mix of intimate indoor sets and lively street performances. Friday opens with lunchtime bandstand performances in the city centre - a gentle way into the weekend - before the pace builds through Friday evening and into Saturday and Sunday. The lineup brings together local acts, national names and international artists: Crow Black Chicken, the Eric Bell Trio, the Rob Strong Band, Led Hedley, Villiers and the Villains, Courtnay Giffin, The Dirt, and Freedom 35s are among those confirmed. The MD Rafferty Music School Live Lounge gives emerging talent a proper stage alongside the headliners.
Saturday adds an artisan market at the Shambles Market in the city centre, with food stalls and craft sellers running alongside the music. Free street acts, face painting and balloon modelling keep younger visitors happy during the day, while the pub and indoor shows run later into the evening. The full programme is published at visitarmagh.com/7hills closer to the festival - worth bookmarking if you want to plan your sets in advance.
Armagh is roughly an hour south-west of Belfast by road, via the A3. From Dublin, the journey is about 90 minutes on the N1/A1 corridor through Dundalk and Newry. Bus Eireann and Translink both serve Armagh; the bus station on Lonsdale Road is a short walk from the Market Place Theatre and the main festival hub in the city centre. All 15 festival venues are within comfortable walking distance of each other once you arrive. Street parking is available around the city centre, and there are pay-and-display car parks off English Street and Friary Road. During the festival weekend, arriving early or using public transport is sensible given the volume of visitors the event draws.
Armagh carries a lot of history for a city of its size - the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, with two St Patrick’s cathedrals facing each other across the hills, a Georgian mall, a planetarium, and an apple orchard country stretching out to the south. A blues festival weekend is a good excuse to spend a night rather than just the day. There is more to see in Armagh and across Co. Armagh.
Heading to Various Venues, Armagh City in Armagh? Armagh has plenty more to see. Read the Armagh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.