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music · Saturday 15 August 2026 · 6:00pm 
Foy Vance - A Celebration of Life at Custom House Square
At Custom House Square (CHSq) · Custom House Square, Belfast, Co. Antrim
At Custom House Square (CHSq) · Custom House Square, Belfast, Co. Antrim
Foy Vance is one of Northern Ireland’s most distinctive voices in music - an Emmy Award-winning singer-songwriter and storyteller with a devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. “A Celebration of Life” is his homecoming show, a deliberately shaped evening of song, satire, and poetry in the open air of Custom House Square. Previous Belfast shows at the Grand Opera House and Waterfront Hall sold out; this time the setting is bigger and the lineup is deeper. If you have any feeling for soulful, emotionally honest songwriting, this is a rare chance to hear it in the city that made him.
Foy Vance has been championed by Ed Sheeran, Bonnie Raitt, Kacey Musgraves, and Elton John - who executive-produced his album The Wild Swan - so the pedigree is considerable. His most recent releases, “A.I.” and “Call Me Anytime”, are out on Rounder Records. The concert is built around those songs alongside his back catalogue (Hope, Joy of Nothing, Signs of Life), framed around the theme of human imperfection and connection.
The support acts are hand-picked rather than standard package filler. Joshua Burnside is a Belfast singer-songwriter whose layered folk-electronic sound has earned him wide critical praise. Vittorio Angelone, Bonnie Bishop, and Jon Plunkett round out the bill - each chosen to fit the evening’s mood rather than just fill time. Gates open at 6pm, giving a full evening before the headline set.
Custom House Square is a fully standing outdoor venue in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, with the backdrop of one of the city’s finest neoclassical buildings. The square hosts a summer concert series each August, running into September, and the setting is well suited to the kind of intimate-feeling large show Vance tends to deliver. Come prepared for Irish summer weather - a layer and waterproof jacket are sensible regardless of the forecast.
Custom House Square sits at the southern edge of the Cathedral Quarter, accessed from Victoria Street via the Albert Clock. It is a short walk from Lanyon Place railway station (Belfast’s main cross-border rail hub), which makes it easy to reach from Dublin by Enterprise train. Translink Metro buses serve the city centre from most parts of Belfast. If you are driving in from outside the city, the Obel and Q-Park Victoria Square car parks are the closest to the venue. Parking in the Cathedral Quarter itself is limited on event evenings, so public transport is the more straightforward option.
The Cathedral Quarter has a strong cluster of independent bars and restaurants worth exploring before or after the show, and the Ulster Museum and Titanic Belfast are each within a short taxi or bus ride if you are making a day of it. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Custom House Square (CHSq) in Belfast? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Belfast area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.