Bored in Belfast

The MAC

Belfast · 7 approved listings in the next two weeks.

Saturday 31 October 3 listings

Morning 1

11:00

Monster Mash: Halloween Special

The MAC · City centre · Family
Details Get ready to Monster Mash at the MAC this Halloween! Bring the whole family along for a spooktacular morning packed with fun, creativity and entertainment. Enjoy exciting circus performances, magical storytelling and hands-on Halloween arts and crafts for little monsters of all ages. Children can also get into the Halloween spirit with spooky face painting and plenty of opportunities to make, play and explore. Come dressed up in your favourite Halloween costume and join us for a monstrously good time at the MAC!
FreeVenue listing

Afternoon 2

14:00

Eoin McNamee

The MAC · The Studio · City centre · Talks & books
Details Eoin McNamee presents his new short story collection, The Comets . The Comets is a richly textured collection of stories, set in Ireland and Northern Ireland, that explore working-class lives teetering on the borderlands between violence and love. McNamee tells these haunted stories with precision and care, cementing again his position as one of the most loved literary stylists of contemporary Irish writing. The author of eight novels including Resurrection Man and The Bureau , McNamee has been nominated for theMan Booker Prize, and has won the Kerry Fiction Prize and the CWA Steel Dagger. Liam McIllvaney said of McNamee's prose that it has the 'cadenced majesty of McCarthy or DeLillo, but the vision it enacts is all his own.' Most recently, Eoin was part of the writers room for Netflix’s Vikings Valhalla series. Programmed as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.
£7.50–9.50Tickets & info
16:00

Bel Trew: From the Front Lines

The MAC · The Studio · City centre · Talks & books
Details Bel Trew is The Independent's multi award-winning Chief International Correspondent, documentary filmmaker, commentator and photographer. Born and raised in the Gulf and Eastern Europe, Bel has covered some of the biggest conflicts and crises of our time since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011. She is a documentary filmmaker, specialising in uncovering evidence of international law violations and the plight of civilians, making films that range from the disappeared in Ukraine war to the deadly impact of unprecedented aid cuts in sub-Saharan Africa. Bel was named Foreign Reporter of the Year at the UK Press Awards and also won the Marie Colvin Award. She has lived across the world from Cairo to Berlin. Her forthcoming book focuses on reframing war reporting by telling the stories of crises and conflict through the eyes and experiences of the extraordinary ordinary people forced to endure it. Age Guidance: 14+ Programmed as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.
£7.50–9.5014+Tickets & info

Sunday 1 November 2 listings

Afternoon 2

14:00

Bette A. & Brian Eno

The MAC · The Main Stage · City centre · Talks & books
Details Why do we need art? In this special event, artist, musician and activist Brian Eno and writer and artist Bette A. explore the ideas behind their acclaimed book What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory . Through conversation, they examine how art is made by all of us; how it creates communities, expands our worlds and has the power to transform how we see the future. Bette A. is on stage and joined by Brian Eno via videolink for this fascinating exploration of the vital role of art in our lives. Programmed as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.
£7.50–9.50Tickets & info
16:00

Sebastian Barry

The MAC · The Main Stage · City centre · Talks & books
Details Regarded as one of the foremost novelists of our time, Sebastian Barry joins Alex Clark to discuss his powerful new book, The Newer World . The author of novels including Days Without End , and The Secret Scripture , Barry was Laureate for Irish Fiction 2018-21 and is a two-time winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award. The Newer World follows the life of Tennyson Bouguereau – freed man, devoted brother, nascent singer, conflicted soldier and wanted man – as he journeys to find meaning and belonging in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Programmed as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.
£7.50–9.50Tickets & info

Sunday 8 November 1 listing

Tonight 1

19:30

Rory Friers

The MAC · The Main Stage · City centre · Music
Details Rory Friers with Michael Keeney, Arco String Quartet, & The Fully Automatic Model. Following last year’s sell-out performance at The MAC, Rory Friers returns to transform the venue into an immersive audio-visual world, built around a bespoke spatial sound system that places the audience inside the music. Created as the culmination of his time as Belfast International Arts Festival’s 2026 Artist-in-Residence, this ambitious one-night-only performance will bring together Friers’ live ensemble, award-winning composer and pianist Michael Keeney, Arco String Quartet, and special guests and collaborators. The music will unfold alongside an extraordinary new visual environment created by Jonny Delaney—aka The Fully Automatic Model—bringing sound, light and image together in an experience conceived specifically for the space. The performance will also unveil the second instalment of Friers' acclaimed HOME project, ahead of a major new release in 2027. Very special guest TBC. Programmed as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.
£23.5014+Tickets & info

Thursday 12 November 1 listing

Tonight 1

18:30

Queer Set Dancing

The MAC · The MAC · City centre · Workshops & classes
Details Come along to a Queer Set Dancing class with Alexa Moore. This is a relaxed, friendly class as part of our MACtivate programme, run with The Rainbow Project. It’s perfect for beginners and open to everyone. The class runs from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. No dance skills needed. Just bring yourself. You can drop in when it suits you and don’t have to come every time. The class is led by a queer woman and is a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ people and allies. Expect laughs, learning and a chance to meet new people. Alexa Moore is a human rights worker and set dancer from Newry, Co. Down. She began set dancing in 2013 and is passionate about keeping the dance alive by expanding it to new people and communities. In her day job, she works on human rights issues relating to Brexit, the Protocol, and other issues in NI.
Free18+LGBTQ+Tickets & info