Belfast International Arts Festival 2017

With 191 events, including 12 premieres, from 14 countries over the course of 23 days, the Belfast International Arts Festival continues to thrive into 2017, under the guidance of director Richard Wakely.

At this years launch event, attendees were treated to a performance from special guest, Scottish singer songwriter Karine Polwart – who appears in the Irish premiere of 'Wind Resistance' at The MAC on 10 and 11 October, a 'poignant, unflinching show about healing, protection, the fragility of human life and the world around us' – and readings from the 2017 Artists in Residence, Maria McManus and Deirdre Cartmill.

Joint Artists in Residence, Maria McManus and Deirdre Cartmill, will bring poetry to the public realm with 'The Poetry Jukebox', a contemporary on-street sound installation at the Crescent Arts Centre.

Other highlights of the Festival include:
Compassion: The History of the Machine Gun –Berlin's acclaimed Schaubühne Theatre return to open the festival at The Lyric on the 6 October with a hard-hitting new work from the Swiss director Milo Rau exploring the limits of human compassion in a globalised world.

Celui Qui Tombe (He Who Falls) - a perilous spectacle of survival sees artists swing, spin and pivot on a suspended podium in the Grand Opera House on the 19 and 20 October.

Gardens Speak – an award winning and deeply moving interactive sound installation from Tania El Khoury containing the oral histories of ten people buried in Syrian gardens, running from the 11 to the 22 October in 12-13 Shaftesbury Square.

The Tempest – Ireland: Memory: Identity: A major exhibition of large scale, sculptural paintings from one of Ireland's leading artists, Hughie O'Donoghue. Created specially for Belfast International Arts Festival, The Tempest foregrounds 3 major new pieces. The exhibition will be held in Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church from 10 to the 28 October.

Hard to be Soft; a Belfast Prayer - a four-part contemporary dance and music spectacle co-commissioned by the Festival with Prime Cut and Dublin Dance Festival and bringing together an ensemble of Northern Ireland's top artists. The production incorporates interviews from people across the city and will close Festival from the 26 to the 28 October in The MAC.

Poppies: Weeping Window – Experience this deeply moving ceramic sculpture draped across the front of the Ulster Museum from the 14 October to the 3 December, accompanied by a supporting programme of talks, music, theatre and literary events, 'Contested Legacies'.

On launching the 2017 edition, the 5th under his tenure, Richard Wakely, Festival Director, said: "This year's Festival explores artists as innovators and activists, addressing the uncertain times we live in. The Festival is a place for our communities to gather together with a belief that change is possible. Often entertaining and always enlightening, there is something for everyone in the 2017 Belfast International Arts Festival."

Lord Mayor of Belfast City Council, Cllr Nuala McAllister, added: "I've chosen 'Global Belfast' as the theme for my year in office. So I'm delighted that Belfast City Council is continuing to invest in the Belfast International Arts Festival - it not only attracts international acts, but it also showcases homegrown talent and helps to position Belfast as a must visit cultural destination. I'd encourage everyone to check out this year's impressive programme and wish everyone involved in the Festival the very best of luck."

The Belfast International Arts Festival 2017 runs in various venues from 6 – 28 October 2017. The full programme of events is available now across NI and online at belfastinternationalartsfestival.com. Follow Belfast International Arts Festival on Facebook and Twitter @BelfastFestival for all the latest news.