← All events
seasonal · Saturday 8 August 2026 · 6:00pm 
CHSq - Custom House Square Summer Concerts Belfast 2026
At Custom House Square · 1 Ulster Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT1 3ES
At Custom House Square · 1 Ulster Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT1 3ES
Every August, Belfast’s Custom House Square becomes one of the finest outdoor music venues on the island. CHSq - the annual summer concert series run by CHSq / Belfast City Council - takes the neoclassical facade of the 1857 Custom House as its backdrop and packs in a run of headline shows across four weeks. The 2026 series runs from 8 August to 1 September, with acts ranging from orchestral pop to post-punk and electronic. If you’re planning a trip to Belfast and have any interest in live music, the timing is as good as it gets.
Custom House Square holds around 5,000 people and has been hosting large outdoor shows since at least 2014. The CHSq series itself began in 2017 and has since featured artists including Paolo Nutini, Snow Patrol, and Fatboy Slim. The venue’s reputation for strong sound is tied to the stone-built square itself, which gives the shows a natural weight that festival fields rarely match.
The 2026 lineup confirmed at time of writing: Lush Classical (8 Aug), A Celebration of Life with Foy Vance (15 Aug), The Proclaimers (16 Aug), Faithless (20 Aug), Stiff Little Fingers (22 Aug), Wunderhorse (25 Aug), IDLES (26 Aug), Bryan Kearney - Notorious X (30 Aug), and CMAT (31 Aug and 1 Sep). Each date is a separately ticketed standing show. Gates open at 6:00pm per event.
This is not a festival pass situation - you buy for the specific night you want. Tickets go through Ticketmaster; prices start from approximately GBP 25 per show and vary by act. Sell-outs are common for the bigger names, so booking ahead is wise once the act you want is announced.
Custom House Square is right in the centre of Belfast, a few minutes on foot from Belfast Central station (trains from Dublin Connolly take around two hours). Europa Bus Centre, the main cross-border coach terminal, is about a fifteen-minute walk across the city. Translink bus routes stop on High Street and Donegall Square, both close to the venue. If you’re driving, car parks on Corporation Street and Oxford Street are the nearest options - both a short walk from the square. Parking fills fast on show nights, so public transport is the easier call.
Custom House Square sits at the edge of the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast’s compact arts and nightlife district, with good restaurants and bars a short walk in any direction. A show night pairs well with a few hours in the city beforehand. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Custom House Square 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.