Festival of Fools returns to Belfast this spring
Over 70 performances will place on the streets of Belfast for FREE 👏
Last updated 13th Apr 2022
Ireland’s largest comedy and street festival returns to Belfast from April 29th – May 2nd 2022 offering four days of jam-packed, all-inclusive entertainment for the whole family at various locations across Belfast City, and with all daytime shows free to attend, this is a festival you don’t want to miss!
Returning for the first time in three years due to the global pandemic, Festival of Fools delivers its strongest programme yet, with the best local and international circus and street art talent taking over the city streets across the Bank Holiday Weekend and for the first time includes FoF After Hours (Adults Only Show!)
Founded in 2003, the festival is the brainchild of the late Belfast Community Circus School Director Will Chamberlain, who believed passionately in the power of street theatre and laughter to bring people together regardless of background, religion or language.
Highlights from this year’s festival, include some highly skilled aerial work in the form of Compañia Depáso, a duo from Italy and Chile who will be performing in Writers’ Square.
There’ll be mind-blowing juggling from Grant Goldie and Simon Llewellyn, award winning clowning from Italian Matteo Galbusera, and PanGottic’s internationally renowned blend of inventions and circus will bring us a rickety contraption to fling balls in the air.
Sin City Sideshow will be throwing knives and Paul Currie will be throwing shapes in his new, specially created for FoF piece, Shtoom!. Paul will be joined by punk goddesses Snatch Circus and trapeze artist extraordinaire Christopher McAuley for FoF After Hours, an evening of edgy contemporary circus for grown-ups happening at Circusful on Sunday 1st May.
Jenna Hall, Festival of Fools Chief Executive , said: “Firstly, we are so pleased to be back. It's three years since the last FoF and it's been really difficult. In 2022 we’ve honoured the contracts of the artists we had booked for 2020 and added in some extras.
“We have also built in some FoF Firsts too, including a ticketed evening show for adults and a youth exchange opportunity for the young people involved in our community programme. We spent time during the closures building a new vision, mission and partnerships and are more able to talk about the value FoF brings to the city, to NI/ROI and to others.
“Our funders are responding really well to the developments. We trust our audiences will too. We are most definitely BACK!”
A long-standing tradition at Festival of Fools is for audiences to donate cash into hats at the end of each show. 100% of every single cash donation goes directly into making the Festival possible.
For the full Festival of Fools programme of events visit foolsfestival.com
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