World-class musicians line up for week-long sessions in some of Belfast's traditional pubs

Belfast’s distinction as a UNESCO City of Music will be under the spotlight when it plays host to world-class traditional musicians.

A week-long Belfast TradFest which runs from July 23-30 will culminate in a giant Ceili at the historic Titanic slipways.

Drop into some of the city’s best-known traditional pubs during the festival and you will likely find yourself playing in the middle of a session or sitting taking in the cultural diversity of the different traditions.

Donal O’Connor is Belfast TradFest’s artistic director. He said: “It is our most ambitious project yet. We have over 300 events taking place across 15 venues in the City and we have a session trail of over 60 sessions we hope to employ over 350 musicians during the course of the week and we will have 450 students signed up for the Summer School which takes place at Ulster University.

"As a cross-cultural and cross-traditional organisation, we bring people together under the umbrella of traditional music.”

Now in its fifth year, Belfast Tradfest has proved itself a big draw and a welcome boost to the economy.

Up to 16,000 people are expected to enjoy the festival over the course of the week.

Damien Corr is the Manager of the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District and he believes when taking into account footfall estimates and how much each person is likely to spend, the festival could generate £2m for Belfast.

The week-long festival of music, song and dance, will round off with a big traditional Ceili at the historic Titanic slipways along the Maritime Mile, sponsored by Maritime Belfast Trust.

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