EastSide Arts Festival 2016 will bring 11 days of inspiring events to Belfast from 10th – 21st August. The festival programme is packed with 100 events including music, comedy, movies, theatre, talks, workshops, visual art, exhibitions, poetry, events for the young and old, community events and heritage tours plus over 50 free events.
Among this year’s musical highlights are two headline concerts- Nick Lowe and Anúna. You can also check out the Kaz Hawkins Band with their unique take on the blues, or renowned saxophonist Keith Donald. For younger audiences there’s The Late Twos with support from Petty Youth. The fantastic Woodstock Rhythm & Blues Festival opens the Festival this year featuring Amanda St John, Anthony Toner, Ken Haddock, Ronnie Greer and Rab McCullough amongst others.
The Festival will host a wide range of readings, film screenings and poetry. Iconic films will be screened at Strand Arts Centre including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Big Lebowski and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. For fans of written and spoken word, treats include a special Page to Stage event with Lucy Caldwell and Rosemary Jenkinson, a Literary Supper Club at The Lamppost Café and a bus tour with poet, Alice McCullough.
Be inspired by the fantastic range of theatre this year. To mark the Somme anniversary local actors Sam and Joan McCready, along with a brass quintet from the Ulster Orchestra, present Letters From The Front- a selection of poems and letters giving accounts of this harrowing time. Also featured is The Prodger – a story about a Catholic Irishman who fought at the Somme.
Looking for some comedy? Then look no further than Neil Dougan’s Heretics’ and Head the Balls – a funny look back at 500 yrs of Protestant Culture, or 1916 Tim McGarry Goes Over The Top –a brand new stand-up show about the history of 1916 Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme, with Tim’s usual take on things!
This year’s festival is also jam packed with workshops and community events, talks and tours, visual art and much more. Check out the full programme at www.eastsidearts.net