Bored in Belfast

Tuesday 17 November in Belfast

Belfast times. Last refreshed Sat 11:03.

Tuesday 17 November 46 listings

09:45to 11:00

Rhythm and Rhyme 6 libraries

Across 6 libraries · South Belfast · Family
Every Tuesday 1st session from 9.45am - 10:15am and 2nd session from 10:45am - 11:15am. Booking essential. t: 028 9050 9223 Ring on Monday from 9:15am to book a space. Rhythm and Rhyme sessions introduce parents and children aged 0 - 4 years to the wonder of rhymes, songs and stories. Each session offers an entertaining opportunity for children to engage with others, provides a good foundation to develop their reading, listening and language skills and of course to have lots of fun!
6 libraries, 09:45 to 11:00
10:00to 14:30

Knit and Natter 4 libraries

Across 4 libraries · Workshops & classes
Every Tuesday from 10:00am - 12 Noon. Everyone welcome. Knit and Natter groups are for adults who enjoy knitting, crochet, cross stitch and other crafts. They are free of charge to attend and participants have the opportunity to share hints and tips, swap patterns, meet new people and learn new skills. Members can bring along a project they are already working on or can start something new.
4 libraries, 10:00 to 14:30
Free
10:00to 14:00

Tea and Newspapers 2 libraries

Across 2 libraries · Community
Monday to Friday from 10:00am - 12:00pm. Everyone welcome. Tea and Newspapers groups give adults the opportunity to meet new people, socialise and discuss local and national affairs in the newspapers while enjoying complimentary tea/coffee and biscuits.
11:00

Chess Club

Belfast Central Library · Games & social
Every Tuesday morning on the First Floor. Everyone welcome The Chess Club is for anyone who wishes to participate in a chess game. It is an opportunity to meet new people, discuss tactics and strategies and browse/borrow our chess books whilst enjoying complimentary tea/coffee and biscuits. Chess sets available.
Venue listing
11:00

Connection Hub

2 Royal Avenue · Community
Drop in at our hub for older people on Tuesday. Come, have coffee and catch up with older people in the city. The hub is open from 11am to 1pm. It is free and you don't need to book. At the event, volunteers from Age-friendly Belfast can help you find out about events, activities and services that can enhance health and wellbeing. The Connection Hub was created by the Greater Belfast Seniors' Forum in partnership with the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership and Age-friendly Belfast. The hub is supported through a seeding grant fund from the Belfast Health Development Unit and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
FreeVenue listing
15:00

Homework Club

Lisburn City Library · Lisburn · Family
The library offers a dedicated space for children to complete their homework. Please note this is not a staff led activity. Every Tuesday from 3:00pm - 4:00pm No booking required t: 028 9266 9345 e: lisburncity.library@librariesni.org.uk
Venue listing
15:15

Wild Horse Nine

Queen's Film Theatre · South Belfast · Film
Martin McDonagh returns with another tragi-comic two-hander with a razor-sharp script and outstanding performances from a stellar cast. After the success of The Banshees of Inisherin , McDonagh has turned his attention to Chile in the 1970s, where two CIA men discuss morality and mortality during a dispatch to the vanishingly remote and metaphorically rich Easter Island. With John Malkovich as the ailing Chris, mentor to Sam Rockwell’s Lee, and idiosyncratic support from Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey and Tom Waits, the film is an accidental allegory for present-day politics with trademark bittersweet notes, sweeping landscapes and strategically-placed horses.
15Tickets & info
15:30

Storytime 3 libraries

Across 3 libraries · Family
Every Tuesday from 3:30pm - 4:00pm. Storytime sessions help children aged 4 - 8 years develop a love of books, improve their listening skills, inspire creativity and feeds their imagination. Join our friendly staff as they read popular books and introduce children to a whole range of different authors.

Ongoing 15

Until30 Nov

‘Art of the Possible’

Ulster Museum · South Belfast · Exhibitions
Over the past decade, the Ulster Museum has collected a significant number of important artworks from around the world—many of which have never been seen by the public until now. Art of the Possible features over 40 artworks made from glass, ceramics, silver, metalwork, jewellery, and wood. These works were created by some of the most talented and important artists and designers working in these materials today.
FreeTickets & info
Until3 Jan

Craft NI Showcase @ RUA 2026

Ulster Museum · South Belfast · Exhibitions
Craft NI are delighted to be invited back for a second year to present a Guest Showcase at RUA’s 145th Annual Exhibition! The Royal Ulster Academy of Arts (RUA) returns to the Ulster Museum this autumn for its 145th Annual Exhibition, bringing together around 350 works by artists from Northern Ireland, across Ireland and further afield. Craft NI will present a guest showcase within the exhibition, bringing together a curated selection of contemporary craft works spanning various disciplines such as ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles, metalwork and furniture. The showcase brings together works that explore new, contemporary interpretations of the natural colours of the Irish landscape: from bespoke furniture and blown glass to silversmithing, ceramics and handcrafted jewellery, the works sit in conversation with one another, creating a shared canvas of the local landscape and its influence on the makers. Participating designer-makers include Adam Frew, Andrea Spencer, Anima Roos, Anna Smyth, Cara Murphy (RUA Academician), Carla Pennie McBride, Céline Traynor, Joanne Lamb, John Piekaar, Mark Hanvey, Matthew Chambers, Rauni Higson, Sarah Cathers, Scott Benefield, Seliena Coyle and Shauna McCann. The showcase highlights the breadth and vitality of the local craft sector, with an emphasis on the quality, creativity and technical skill evident in the work of NI designer-makers.
FreeVenue listing
Until6 Dec

The Earth is the First Body Exhibition

Botanic Gardens Palm House · Exhibitions
The Earth is the First Body: an Exhibition by Botanic Gardens Artist-in-Residence Kerrie Hanna The Earth is the First Body is a new exhibition by artist Kerrie Hanna, created during her residency at Botanic Gardens. Using inks, pigments and charcoal made from plants growing in the Gardens, Kerrie has explored the stories, history and living landscape of this unique place. The exhibition looks at the Gardens' past, including the movement of plants around the world during Victorian times, while also highlighting the important work of protecting plants and biodiversity today. Through stained glass and other artworks, The Earth is the First Body invites us to think about our connection to the natural world and our role in caring for it. Join us for the exhibition opening event and be among the first to see the work. The exhibition officially opens to the public on 24 October and runs until 6 December.
FreeVenue listing
Until17 Nov

Welcome to the table

Belfast School of Art · Exhibitions · Culture · Unusual · Visual art · Workshops & classes
As part of Irish Design Week 2026 Welcome to the table is a participatory visual project and exhibition exploring belonging, third culture identity and cultural exchange through the lens of food, table settings, and shared meal rituals. You are invited to co-create table environments inspired by different cultures and ways of living, with each table becoming a visual expression of heritage, cultural traditions, rituals as well as contemporary habits. The project is rooted in the idea that identity is not only shaped by nationality but by lived experience, creativity, migration and memory and that it continues to evolve. Through designed tableware, surfaces, vessels and place settings, audiences are invited to experience different cultures. From creating centrepieces with natural materials to exploring zines and Tunisian cuisine, our workshops during Irish Design Week 2026 will turn ideas into objects and shared experiences, with the resulting tables and stories displayed at Belfast Central Library and Second Nature. Join us and develop ideas through making and exchange with contributions from designers, artists, researchers and food practitioners. What’s on: Hands-on design and making workshops exploring table settings, objects and natural materials Conversations about food, culture, creative health and who gathers around the table Food and Gathering focused sessions with BIA! Zine, Larder East and Carthago including a Tunisian tasting tray An exhibition of student product design, workshop creations and food stories Evening showcases for Late Night Art and Design After Dark Key information and schedule Thursday 5th November (Belfast Central Library & Second Nature) 18.00 onwards - In our Late Night Art Showcase ahead of Irish Design Week 2026, Belfast School of Art’s Foundation (Product Design) students have explored the eating experience through designing tableware in an exercise of reimagining traditional eating tools that enhance the users’ sensory involvement with food Monday 9th November Day One: Welcome to the table Session 1 (Art Shop at BSOA) 10.00-12.30 - An introduction with Belfast Design Week’s Christine James & Karishma Kusurkar and The Art Shop’s Celeste Owens. Belfast School of Art lecturers Dr. Pamela Whitaker and Dr. Adriana Ionascu, supported by Art Psychotherapy trainees Catherine Fitzmaurice and Michelle Eustace, explore who gathers around the table, intention, material objects, food, psychology, creative health and “glimmers.” Join them to create a centrepiece for a gathering space using natural materials. Session 2 (Belfast Central Library) 12.30-14.00 - A tour of Belfast Central Library - a vital third space in the community full of heritage, design and ideas for gathering Session 3 (Art Shop at BSOA) 14.00-16.00 - Join BIA! Zine for a very special session - “An Ode to the Meal that Changed My Life: A zine-making workshop inspired by your favourite foods. In this workshop, you are invited around our shared table to create a recipe zine. Through zine-making, collage, drawing, writing and storytelling, you will share the story of your favourite food, flavour, meal, or memory. Tuesday 10th November Day Two: Make, Eat, Gather Session 1 (Art Shop at BSOA) 10.00-12.30 - Hear from Larder>East’s Alli Steen on the significance of tables and public spaces and design your own gathering space Session 2 (Art Shop at BSOA) 12.30-14.00 - Discover Tunisian cuisine and culture from Carthago’s owner and head chef Sabeh Sendi and sample a Tunisian tasting tray Session 3 (Art Shop at BSOA) 14.00-16.00 - Develop a unique cultural space using found objects and repurposed materials Session 4 (Art Shop at BSOA) 16.00-17.00 - Install your work at Belfast Central Library Thursday 12th November 18.00 onwards - Design After Dark celebration at Belfast Central Library with full exhibition of work Accessibility information: Belfast School of Art Belfast Central Library Second Nature - The exhibition space is on the ground floor with easy access through the main entrance. Please be aware of building works in the area which may affect pavement access outside. If you have any specific accessibility queries or are joining with a larger group of 5+ people, please reach out to info@belfastdesignweek.com
Venue listing
Until31 Dec

Bernat Klein: Influence & Inspiration

Craft NI Gallery · Exhibitions
Craft NI Gallery in partnership with Future Island-Island, Belfast School of Art, Live Borders Museums & Galleries and The Bernat Klein Foundation, is delighted to present a capsule exhibition of selected work that shares the legacy of Bernat Klein (1922 – 2014), textile designer and manufacturer, artist and colourist. Colour connects every aspect of Klein’s creative practice that lasted a lifetime. Whether in his innovation of 1960s couture mohair tweeds or printed textiles, or evident in his work as an artist and colourist. Klein encompassed the importance of place in exploring his visual language of colour and texture. There will also be a sister exhibition (details to follow) at Belfast School of Art and a symposium in November. Both exhibitions illustrate Klein’s influence across design, architecture, visual arts, as well as his significant creative and cultural contribution to Scotland. Original archive pieces give context to the work of contemporary practitioners who have been inspired by The Klein legacy, and which still holds relevance today. Who was Bernat Klein? Serbian born designer Bernat Klein (1922 – 2014) emigrated to the UK in the post-war period and based his textile manufacturing business in the Scottish Borders (1951 – 1992). In a career spanning six decades, Klein found international success in the interlarded spheres of visual arts, fashion, textiles design, architecture, industrial design, and colour consultancy. He sold couture fabrics to leading couriers such as Chanel and Dior, gained recognition in Scandinavia and North America, and realised two important buildings with modernist architect Peter Womersley (1923 – 1993).
Venue listing
Until30 Dec

Big Bauble Showcase

Craft NI Gallery · Exhibitions
An annual staple at Craft NI Gallery during the festive season, the Big Bauble Showcase features a wide selection of limited ranges and one-off baubles all handcrafted to a high standard by local designer-makers in porcelain, felt, enamel, textiles or hand blown glass. The event is a highlight for visitors who come back each year to add to their collection. Stop by to admire the skills of local makers and pick up a meaningful gift!
FreeVenue listing
Until31 Jan

The Gift

Craft NI Gallery · Exhibitions
The Gift, Craft NI Gallery’s annual Christmas selling exhibition, opens November 5th! Join us for a festive opening night on November 5th, 6 – 9pm (Late Night Art Belfast) to see the latest creations of local designer-makers and a chance to meet some of them in person! Celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship of local makers, the exhibition brings together a thoughtfully curated collection of unique, handcrafted gifts, from contemporary jewellery and ceramics to textiles, woodwork and much more. Whether you’re searching for a special gift for a loved one or something to treasure yourself for years to come, discover one-of-a-kind pieces made by talented makers right here on our doorstep. Participating makers: Abbie Dixon, Aisling Higgins, Anna Smyth, Fiona Kerr, Hugh Cummins, Inga Reed, Janice Gilmore, Jill Phillips, Marlene McKibbin, Martin Cameron, Mary Chris, Natasha Heaslip, Nichola Dalton, Rory Shearer, Sarah Elliott, Seamus Gill, Ursula McGivern. The exhibition runs until January 31st, 2027.
FreeTickets & info
Until28 Nov

Class of 76: Fifty Years of Art

Holywood Library · Holywood · Exhibitions
Celebrate 50 years of creativity with the Class of ’76, a group of artists who graduated from Belfast School of Art in 1976. Explore an exciting exhibition of paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics and conceptual art, organised by John Rubery. Showcasing the diverse and unexpected journeys of a generation of artists.
Venue listing
Until13 Feb

THE PERFECT STORM Ralf Sander

Golden Thread Gallery · Exhibitions
Launch : Saturday 14th November 1pm-3pm Dates : 14th November – 13th February 2027 Gallery : Upper Gallery & Lower Gallery Artist Talk : 20th November (TBC) Ralf Sander’s largest solo exhibition in Northern Ireland to date, this exhibition brings together sculpture, photography, sound, film and satellite data to examine how images shape our understanding of reality. A “perfect storm” describes a rare and powerful convergence of events. Sander uses this idea to consider the forces that shape how we see the world, and our capacity to influence them. Sander turns satellite imagery and weather data, tools normally used to observe the Earth, into an artistic medium. Treating the satellite as a camera, he transforms scientific information into another way of seeing the world. The resulting installation creates an illusion through photography, digital imagery and sculpture. It invites us to consider whether every photograph is, in some sense, an illusion: not reality itself, but one version of it. The work asks how this constructed reality differs from the reality we experience in everyday life. The exhibition builds on Sander’s long-standing interest in testing the possibilities of sculpture across different materials and media. His work has been exhibited internationally, and he has also initiated and curated exhibitions and art projects. The exhibition reflects Golden Thread Gallery’s continuing commitment to ambitious and critically engaged contemporary art. It extends the gallery’s programme beyond historical enquiry to address wider questions of perception and representation, and the role visual culture plays in shaping our shared understanding of the world. About the Artist Born in December 1963, Ralf Sander is an internationally active sculptor and conceptual artist. His practice ranges from large-scale public monuments and figurative sculptures carved from single tree trunks to experimental projects that connect art and science. Sander has exhibited worldwide, in internationally acclaimed locations such as Bonner Kunsthalle, Museum of Art Stuttgart, Haus der Kunst Munich, Philadelphia Museum, Nowisibirsk Museum of Art and Seoul MoA. Sander is a Reader in Fine Art at the Belfast School of Art , Ulster University. Originally from Berlin, he is now based in Islandmagee, Northern Ireland. Accessibility The Lower Gallery is accessed via the ground floor, which is step-free. The Upper Gallery is accessed via wheelchair accessible lift or by the stairwell. Large print versions of exhibition texts are available. Access videos of the gallery are available on our website here , with BSL and ISL signed versions. Please let us know if you have any questions or additional requirements, we are working hard to make the gallery as accessible as possible for everyone. Golden Thread Gallery is proud to hold an Arts & Disability Access Award Venue Accreditation. Golden Thread Gallery is supported by:
Venue listing
Open

Unruly Ordinances

The MAC · The MAC Galleries · City centre · Exhibitions · LGBTQ+ · Outburst Festival
Details Outburst Arts and the MAC proudly present Unruly Ordinances, a major group exhibition of queer artists from the last two decades. Collectively curated through conversations on queer practice between Outburst collaborators Dayna Ash, Eoin Dara, Haven for Artists, Laima Kreivytė, Kim McAleese, Ruth McCarthy, Iarlaith Ní Fheorais, Monica Pearl and Lyónn Wolf, this selection of installation, sculptural, drawing, photographic and video works opens up expansive and radical conversations on queerness, embracing all of its dissident and tender potential. From newly commissioned works that playfully disrupt thinking on archiving and remembering; to reflections on land, language and material conditions, Unruly Ordinances recentres queer as a generative, slippery, critical and unfixed thing, inciting imagination and catalysing daring possibility. Launching as part of the 20th annual Outburst Queer Arts Festival on November 12, the exhibition will be accompanied by a dynamic three-month public programme, bringing together artists, activists, academics and audiences through talks, screenings, publishing, performances and workshops Artists Array Collective Kian Benson Bailes A.Mac Giolla Bhríde Reuben Brown Batool Desouky Sarah Joy Ford Caoimhín Gaffney Agnė Jokšė Breda Lynch Ebun Sodipo Eimear Walshe Lyónn Wolf Supported by The Ampersand Foundation w ith additional support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation Art Fund and Lithuanian Cultural Institute.
FreeTickets & info