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music · Wednesday 29 July 2026 · 8:30pm 
Belfast TradFest - The Big Queer Ceili
At The Black Box · 18-22 Hill Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim
At The Black Box · 18-22 Hill Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim
A ceili where everyone gets a turn, and nobody needs to know the steps beforehand. The Big Queer Ceili is one of the standout social events of Belfast TradFest 2026, bringing together traditional set dancing with gender-neutral calling and a crowd that runs from seasoned trad dancers to people who have never set foot on a dance floor. It is a fundraiser for The Rainbow Project, Northern Ireland’s LGBTQIA+ advocacy organisation, so the entry price goes somewhere useful. If you are looking for a late-night event that is genuinely welcoming and genuinely fun, this fits the bill.
The music comes from the Close Brothers Ceili Band, with dances called by Belfast-based instructor Alexa Moore. The calling is gender-neutral, which means the usual “ladies and gentlemen” framing is dropped - you just follow the caller and spin whoever is beside you. No experience is required; the caller guides the room through each dance before it starts. Wear comfortable shoes, ideally something with a bit of give. The format is a proper ceili, not a ceilidh-lite: expect reels, jigs, and set dances at a pace that will leave you breathless by the end of the night.
The event is part of Belfast TradFest’s 8th edition, running 26 July to 2 August 2026. The festival spans more than 600 events across 40 venues, drawing artists and audiences from across Ireland and beyond - in 2025 it attracted visitors from 34 countries. The Big Queer Ceili is one of the festival’s late-night social events, ticketed separately from the headline concerts.
The Black Box is a well-regarded arts venue on Hill Street in the Cathedral Quarter. It has been part of Belfast’s cultural life since 2006 and hosts everything from comedy and theatre to live music and club nights. The room suits a ceili well - sprung floor, decent acoustics, central bar.
The Black Box is on Hill Street in the Cathedral Quarter, about a ten-minute walk from Belfast City Centre and Belfast Lanyon Place train station. Great Victoria Street station is fifteen minutes on foot. Translink operates frequent bus and rail services into the city from across Northern Ireland; the Goldline coach network connects from further afield. If you are driving in from the south, the M1 brings you into the city quickly, and there is multi-storey parking at Victoria Square and Q-Park Cathedral Quarter nearby. Taxis and ride-share services are straightforward from the venue after the event.
The Cathedral Quarter is one of the more rewarding parts of the city for an evening out, with good pubs and restaurants within easy walking distance of the venue. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to The Black Box 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.