Never miss a thing from Belfast and beyond - sign up for FREE updates direct to your email inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Belfast city centre is set to be awash with are devil feats, fast paced acrobatics, heart-stopping Hip Hop, mesmerising object manipulation, and laugh out loud comedy as the Festival of Fools rolls into town.

Belfast's favourite family friendly festival returns for its 13th edition from Friday, April 29 to Monday, May 2.

More than 120 performances will take place across the streets of Belfast City Centre and Cathedral Quarter, free of charge, and you don’t even need to book.

Top notch artists from Poland, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Holland and Finland will entertain you with stories of love; acrobatic impossibilities; record breaking unicycling; puppet magicians; award winning juggling; and stunning circus.

The festival opens on Friday 29 April at 7pm in Writers’ Square with a premiere from Les Dudes. Coming from Montreal – home of contemporary circus - both performers have previously toured with Cirque du Soleil.

They are fresh from a run of 300 shows in 25 countries with their new show. Their impressive circus skills will take your breath away and have you doubled over with laughter.

The festival treats continue on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday with comedy, circus, dance, puppetry, magic, live music, and visual arts all on the menu.

Each evening finishes with The Big Finish - a variety style show featuring highlights from the day’s acts in the relaxed surroundings of Saint Anne’s Square.

You can expect bizarre sightings of aubergines in nappies being bottle fed by the Vegetable Nannies and non-existent wounds being patched up by the accident prone St Joan’s Ambulance as you make your way between shows in Bank Square, Cornmarket, Cotton Court, Saint Anne’s Square and Writers’ Square.

Shows take place in close walking distance to each other, so there’s literally something happening around every corner!

Take your family, your friends and your granny to enjoy a great day out. Belfast is going to be ringing with the sounds of laughter and applause so if you need a lift, you know where you need to be.

MORE: