Inside the Record-Breaking Return of AVA Belfast [Photo Gallery]

AVA Festival returned to Belfast’s Titanic Slipways in 2026 for its biggest edition yet, welcoming more than 21,000 people across two days of music, visual arts and contemporary culture. Framed by the iconic yellow Harland & Wolff cranes on Belfast’s skyline, the festival once again transformed one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks into a vibrant gathering of artists, creators and music lovers. Few festival sites feel so closely tied to their surroundings, with the cranes visible across the skyline and anchoring the entire experience in the city’s industrial backdrop.

Across the weekend, the atmosphere shifted but never let up, moving from bright, sunlit energy and long golden hours across the Slipways into deeper, late-night intensity as the site evolved after dark. That flow carried through sets from ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Angel D’lite, DJ Gigola, Honey Dijon, Blawan, Interplanetary Criminal, Surusinghe and KETTAMA, shaping the festival’s rhythm. KNEECAP’s headline set and Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew’s closing journey at The Pumphouse on Saturday stood out as defining peaks, while local DJs like Cian, Princess Glitoris, Chris Flannigan or bands like Huartan threaded Belfast’s scene throughout the weekend. In the end, AVA once again felt like a meeting point of music, place and community – rooted firmly in the city’s creative identity.

Now step inside the noise, colour and sweat of AVA Belfast 2026 through the full photo gallery below.

As the dust settles on the Belfast flagship, the festival’s momentum carries forward to its next major destination on the calendar. Full details and programming for the upcoming AVA London can be found here: https://avafestival.com/london/.

Photos by: Marina Palacios