Five of the eight sit in Belfast, all of them indoor venues. The Grand Opera House kept the extravagant auditorium Frank Matcham designed for its 1895 opening; if you are not booked for a show, there is a 45-minute backstage tour and a heritage exhibition. The Ulster Hall has been the city’s concert and assembly room since 1862, holding the Mulholland Grand Organ in its Victorian main hall. The Waterfront Hall, a near-circular 2,241-seat auditorium at Lanyon Place, is the home stage of the Ulster Orchestra, and the riverside plaza outside is free to wander.
The Lyric is the different one: Northern Ireland’s only full-time producing theatre, making its own drama in a 2011 building over the Lagan. The Odyssey, rebranded The O2 Belfast in July 2026, is the wet-afternoon option, with the arena, the W5 science centre, a cinema, bowling and adventure golf in one place. Its car park is paid and fills fast on event nights.
The other three need a drive. Royal Portrush and Rathmore sit on the same stretch of dunes above the East Strand, the championship Dunluce links and the gentler Valley course alongside each other; Rathmore handed two of its holes to the Dunluce for the 2019 Open. Ballykenver, a working dairy farm near Armoy, is the outlier, two hours at Amanda Hanna’s kitchen table making jam, chutney or lemon curd with a pot to take home.
Frank Matcham's 1895 auditorium is still Belfast's leading theatre, and a 45-minute backstage tour gets you in on days without a show.
Northern Ireland's only full-time producing theatre, making its own drama in a 2011 riverside building, and The Stage's Theatre of the Year in 2023.
Arena, W5 science centre, cinema, bowling and adventure golf under one roof make this the county's most dependable wet-weather day out.
The only club outside Great Britain to have hosted The Open, with the Dunluce links running through giant dunes above the Atlantic.
Belfast's concert and assembly room since 1862, still busy with classical, comedy and gigs, and home to the Victorian Mulholland Grand Organ.
5 of 8 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Belfast, antrim
Frank Matcham designed the extravagant main auditorium that opened here in 1895, and it has been Belfast’s leading theatre ever since. If you’re not here for a show, you can join a 45-minute backstage tour or walk the heritage exhibition; the smaller Baby Grand Studio handles new writing and experimental work.
Belfast, antrim
The Lyric is Northern Ireland's only full-time producing theatre, making its own drama rather than just hosting tours, and it was named The Stage's Theatre of the Year in 2023. Founded in 1951 by Mary and Pearse O'Malley, it now plays out of a 2011 riverside building with a 389-seat main house, a 120-seat studio and a café over the Lagan.
Belfast, antrim
The Odyssey packs Northern Ireland's largest indoor arena – home of the Belfast Giants – alongside the W5 science centre and a leisure wing of cinema, bowling and adventure golf. Rebranded as The O2 Belfast from July 2026, it's a dependable wet-weather day out, though the car park is paid and fills fast on event nights.
Portrush, antrim
Royal Portrush is the only club outside Great Britain to host The Open, and it has now done so three times. The championship Dunluce links runs through giant dunes above the Atlantic, with the Valley course alongside it as a cheaper, gentler test.
Belfast, antrim
The Ulster Hall opened in 1862 as Belfast's main concert and assembly room, and it still earns its keep with classical concerts, comedy, tribute acts and gigs. The Victorian main hall holds the Mulholland Grand Organ, one of the oldest playable English pipe organs, while the balcony Group Space is hung with Joseph Carey's paintings of old Belfast. It was here, in March 1971, that Led Zeppelin first played 'Stairway to Heaven' to a room that barely reacted.
Belfast, antrim
The Waterfront Hall is Belfast's principal concert venue, a near-circular auditorium of 2,241 seats built on the River Lagan at Lanyon Place and opened in 1997. It is the home stage of the Ulster Orchestra and takes touring music, comedy and family shows, with a smaller studio alongside. A 2016 extension added the ICC Belfast convention centre; the riverside plaza outside is free to wander.
Armoy, antrim
Portrush, antrim
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