City of Derry International Choir Festival 2026

What to Expect

The City of Derry International Choir Festival returns from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 October 2026, bringing choirs from Ireland and overseas into the city for four days of competitions, concerts and community singing. The festival is based at the Holywell Trust Building on Bishop Street, with events also staged at the Millennium Forum, the Guildhall and St Columb’s Hall. The opening event takes place at the Millennium Forum on Thursday 22 October, with a performance from the ensemble Tenebrae at the Guildhall the following evening. Alongside the formal international competition, the festival programme includes choral trails through the city streets, pub trails with informal singing sessions, and workshops, giving visiting choirs and local audiences several ways to take part beyond the main concert stage. Organisers describe the weekend as bringing “a tidal wave of magical choral music” to Derry, with participating choirs performing not only in the headline concerts but informally around the city as they move between venues, giving the festival a visible presence across the city centre for its full four-day run.

Good to Know

• Runs Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 October 2026, four days of concerts, competitions and trails
• Based at the Holywell Trust Building, 10-14 Bishop Street, with events also at the Millennium Forum, the Guildhall and St Columb’s Hall
• Opening concert at the Millennium Forum on 22 October; Tenebrae perform at the Guildhall on 23 October
• Programme includes an international choir competition, choral trails, pub trails and workshops for singers of all levels
• Ticket prices vary by concert; tickets go on sale in advance and can be booked online through derrychoirfest.com
• Full schedule, participating choirs and venue-by-venue listings are published at derrychoirfest.com closer to the festival

Getting There

All main venues, the Holywell Trust Building, the Millennium Forum, the Guildhall and St Columb’s Hall, sit within the city centre and Bishop Street area, an easy walk from each other and from Derry’s main bus and rail links, so a single festival wristband or day of tickets can take in several venues on foot.