UK’s largest textile craft event heading back to Northern Ireland for second year 

The organisers of the UK’s largest craft show have issued an invite to Irish makers and businesses to take part in this year’s event.

The Knit + Stitch Show will take place from November 13-16 at the The Eikon Exhibition Centre outside Lisburn, the epicentre of Northern Ireland’s once thriving linen heartland.

Responding to feedback from last year’s inaugural show, organisers are introducing bespoke platforms to enable artisan makers and textile craft businesses to take part and showcase their work.

New for this year will be the Knit Lounge, hosted by Inspiring Yarns, and a dedicated Yarn Village promoting independent yarn dyers and producers.  Organisers are keen for local yarn companies and wool providers to get in touch to secure their place in this dedicated feature.

There is also still time to enter the Christmas Jumper Competition, another new feature for 2025 in place of the dressmaking competition. Deadline for entries is 11.50pm (GMT) on October 6 with finalists displayed at the show and modelled on the catwalk

Organisers are asking knitters and crocheters to create a Christmas themed jumper bursting at the seams with festive cheer – the more creative, the better!

In addition to more than 100 craft exhibitors and over 150 workshops, there will be an enhanced focus on knitting and crocheting with 14 knitting exhibitors already signed up to attend. Other new exhibitors this year include Black Sheep, Fantastic Ribbons, Italian Buttons and What The Fabric.

Following the success of last year’s show, organisers are confident the 2025 event will be bigger and better. They’ve even installed a Prosecco Bar so visitors can raise a glass and enjoy a good ‘yarn’.

Visit https://www.knitandstitchshow.co.uk/northernireland/whats-on-pr/ to find out how you can take part in this year’s show and to enter the Christmas Jumper competition.

As World Tourism Day 2025 is celebrated around the globe under the banner of “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”, Belfast Flavours members are celebrating serving sustainability and authenticity on World Tourism Day and every day by seizing the moment to showcase how its food, drink, and hospitality scene is leading the way in reimagining tourism for a more authentic future.

One example of how collaborative partnerships, and eco-conscious choices can redefine the visitor experience, is that of a new partnership between Pan and Pour and Boundary Brewery.

Andrew Dougan, Co-Chair of Belfast Flavours said: “I’m a firm believer in the circular economy and sustainability is in our DNA at Pan and Pour and Yellow Door. As a member of Belfast Flavours, our business has benefited from the connectivity of our membership with our new and exclusive creation for ICC Belfast between Pan and Pour and Boundary Brewery. This exciting opportunity underpins our relationship with the team at ICC Belfast and their belief in us as a local business to serve their international audiences on a global stage.”

Belfast Flavours facilitated a meeting which resulted in an IPA being exclusively produced for ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall which has subsequently been named by its team. The ‘Encore’ beer joins other products being served to visitors of the venues, made and produced locally on our doorstep. This partnership symbolises the kind of authentic and sustainable opportunities that Belfast Flavours exists to champion between producers, venues, and the people who bring the city’s culture to life.

Andrew added: “For me, sustainability isn’t a slogan. It’s a responsibility. I’m committed to buying the best locally and reinvesting locally. I don’t think business should be about sucking the profits out of Northern Ireland but about keeping the value here and making it sustainable for businesses, for the local economy and the local community.

“This ethos comes to life in Encore. Brewed less than a mile from the purpose-built International Convention Centre, the beer represents a break from globalised supply chains dominated by multinational food and drink manufacturers. Instead, it gives international delegates a taste of Belfast, made by Belfast and with a flavour shaped by local creativity and pride.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to trade in a building that was built by the people of Northern Ireland, for the people of Northern Ireland. The fact that the ICC Belfast team named the IPA themselves shows the strength of connection between the venue, the producers, and the community it serves.”

That sense of connection runs throughout Belfast Flavours members and their tourism offering. Whether through storytelling-led walking tours or farm-to-table dining, Belfast Flavours members ensure visitors leave with memories that go beyond the plate or glass.

Belfast Flavours is a celebration of the city’s vibrant culinary culture and a network that connects chefs, producers, venues, and guides. More than a showcase, Belfast Flavours is proving that collaboration and authenticity can transform how visitors experience the city.

To become a member of Belfast Flavours visit www.belfastflavours.com/membership.  Follow Belfast Flavours Food & Drink Collective on social media.

Belfast Flavours Food and Drink Collective is supported by DAERA via the NI Regional Food Programme.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is set to deliver a frightfully fun programme of events this Halloween, with something for all ages to enjoy. Residents and visitors are invited to join in a spook-tacular line-up of activities across the Borough.

 

Kicking off on Thursday 24 October and running until Saturday 15 November, the celebrations will include family favourites, spectacular fireworks, live theatre shows and more.

 

Event Highlights:

 

Screams and Tricks Fun-Fair at V36, The Valley (Attraction charges may apply)

Thursday 24 October – Sunday 2 November

Thrilling rides and fairground fun for all the family.

 

Spooked Out at V36, The Valley (£2.50 booking fee, 50p of which is donated to the Mayor’s Charities)

Saturday 25 October

A dazzling firework display, a best-dressed competition and more.

 

Indoor Pumpkin Patch at Mossley Mill (£8 per ticket)

Saturday 25 – Friday 31 October

A magical indoor pumpkin-picking experience where little ones can choose and carve their own pumpkin.

 

Halloween Roller Disco at The Courtyard Theatre in Ballyearl (£8.50 per ticket)

Saturday 1 November

Skate the night away in your best spooky costume. There will be both a family friendly and adult only session.

 

There will also be a great line up of family friendly theatre shows in Theatre at The Mill, The Courtyard Theatre and The Old Courthouse including:

 

Frank n Stein’s Teddy and Carnacki the Ghost Finder on Saturday 25 October, The Sanderson Sisters on Friday 31 October and Sunday 2 November and The Addams Family on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 November.

 

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, said:

“Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year for families across our Borough. This year, we are pleased to offer a packed programme of events that will entertain audiences of all ages. I encourage everyone to come along, get dressed up and enjoy the celebrations.”

 

With a fantastic choice of events, from family-friendly fun to eerie theatre and spectacular fireworks, Antrim and Newtownabbey is the place to be this Halloween.

 

For more information and to book tickets, visit: antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/halloween

Shamrock Tenors and many more local artists announced for the special evening in November

Belfast’s Grand Opera House will mark its 130^th anniversary with a unique and intimate dining and entertainment experience, On Stage Tonight!.

For one night only in November, over 40 talented performers will surrender the stage to the audience who will, for the first time ever, get to enjoy the night from their exclusive seats on the Theatre’s iconic stage. With the tables turned the opulent auditorium will instead become the backdrop for the various performances throughout the evening.

The audience of only 150 people will enjoy a champagne reception and a three-course meal as they are entertained by a stellar line-up of Northern Ireland talent from the worlds of theatre, music, opera, and comedy, along with a selection of today’s emerging talent.

As the only remaining theatre from Victorian Belfast, the auditorium’s glorious architecture and extravagant decoration earn it an accolade as the finest, most captivating, and awe-inspiring theatre of the many that leading architect Frank Matcham created.

The performers at this exclusive event include the Emmy award-winning Shamrock Tenors, who appear direct from their Australian tour and performance at Sydney Opera House, and The O’Hara Sisters – Jolene & Philippa – the hugely talented siblings who have amazed audiences all over the world with their stunning vocals.

They will be joined by actor and playwright Dan Gordon, comedian Diona Doherty, following her recent appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the talented broadcaster, actress and singer Lata Sharma.

The cast also includes sopranos Mary McCabe & Jenny Bourke, actor-musician Chris Kane, the chorus of Northern Ireland Opera, and radio and TV personality Pete Snodden will MC the special evening.

Completing the bill are some of the young stars of the Grand Opera House’s 2025 sell-out Summer Youth Production of Grease who will step into the spotlight to perform together for one last time, a string quartet from The City of Belfast Youth Orchestra, and the Laura McGrath Trio.

Ian Wilson, Chief Executive of the Grand Opera House said: “Later this year, Northern Ireland’s Premier Theatre, and Belfast’s foremost cultural asset, will celebrate its 130^th anniversary. To mark this special occasion, and to recognise the indelible mark the Grand Opera House has made on the history and heritage of UK and Irish theatre, we are producing this one-off event that promises to be an exceptional and truly memorable evening showcasing local talent and good food. The fact that the audience will view the performances from a very different perspective on-stage with the auditorium as the backdrop will truly make it a night to remember.

“Each year, we welcome over 300,000 people to enjoy a busy, diverse and rich programme of shows and events. On Stage Tonight! will commemorate Northern Ireland’s oldest Theatre in an evening to honour a building that has inspired generations and truly stood the test of time.”

Raymond Walsh from Shamrock Tenors added: “We are delighted to return to the Grand Opera House after two sell-out shows at the Theatre in 2024. We have no doubt that audiences will enjoy a magical night with music, laughter and memories to last a lifetime. Celebrating with over 40 other artists, this one-off event will most definitely strike a chord with the performers, audiences and all involved.”

On Stage Tonight! is produced by the Grand Opera House in partnership with Northern Ireland Opera, and Posh Nosh, whose previous sell-out entertainment and dining shows, Arias & Three Courses, and Cocktails & Cabaret, were staged in the Theatre’s Studio.

Tickets for On Stage Tonight! on Friday 14 November 2025 are priced at £190 per person which includes a champagne reception, three course dinner and the full entertainment programme. For more information, or to book tickets, visit www.goh.co.uk

Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Arts Service is delighted to welcome emerging theatre company Hollow Reed to Bangor this autumn, as they bring their debut production Thicker than Water to Studio 1A on Hamilton Road for one night only on Thursday 16 October at 8pm.

 

Following a sold-out performance at The Sanctuary Theatre, Belfast, Thicker than Water transports audiences back to the mid-nineteenth century, where two sisters – Bronagh, a woman of her time, and Saoirse, an outsider, brilliantly performed by Niamh Docherty and Caoimhe Ryan – find themselves forced to leave Antrim behind after a violent mistake with their landlord. On the run and bound for a new life, the play explores feminine responses to consequence and asks how far we might go to outrun fate.

 

Written by local playwright Theo Traynor, the story examines family, freedom and resilience against the backdrop of famine. Speaking about the play, Traynor said:

“This story doesn’t concentrate on the famine. It’s really about the relationship between the two sisters, it’s about women trying to break free from their oppressive society to the best of their abilities.”

 

Directed by Jordan Paul and Niamh Docherty, the work was first staged in Liverpool in 2023. Paul, who also co-founded Hollow Reed, explained his aim in staging the piece:

“Family struggles and daily struggles that are sometimes overlooked in times of crisis really do exist, and sometimes it can be a multitude of things that catapult people into an extraordinary response. As a new company, Hollow Reed is dedicated to giving local actors professional opportunities while staging bold, contemporary writing that shines a light on overlooked or unheard stories.”

 

Amy McKelvey, Community Arts Development Officer for Ards and North Down Borough Council, added:

“We are thrilled to host Hollow Reed’s debut performance here in Bangor. Thicker than Water is a powerful example of the kind of fresh, thought-provoking theatre being created in Northern Ireland today, and we are excited for audiences to experience it.”

 

Tickets cost £15 and are on sale now at: www.andculture.org.uk