About Us

Festival of Fools is a jam-packed weekend of circus performances, featuring breathtaking acrobatics, gut-busting comedy and jaw-dropping juggling.

The festival is one of the largest comedy, circus and outdoor arts festival in Northern Ireland, with over 50 performances taking place on the streets of Belfast City Centre and Cathedral Quarter.

All daytime shows are free to attend and apart from the shows in our Circusful building, no booking is required.

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. He established Festival of Fools in Cathedral Quarter in Belfast at a time when the area was a far cry from the bustling cultural centre it is today.

Nowadays the Festival is a firm fixture on Northern Ireland’s cultural calendar, bringing thousands of visitors to Cathedral Quarter and the city centre.

We are hugely grateful to our sponsors and funders, particularly Arts Council Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council.

Message from our Principal Funder

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to see the Festival of Fools return this May with its impressive, live, professional circus acts, helping to ensure that more people from all backgrounds can enjoy arts experiences. Our encounters with circus, theatre and storytelling can have a deep and lasting influence on our creative imaginations and the way we view the world around us.

National Lottery funding is a game changer in helping this festival spread joy across Belfast and as principal funder, the Arts Council is thankful to The National Lottery players for the investment we are able to make in this Festival and also in the important work that Circusful does throughout the year, engaging people in arts activities as well as offering a platform to young and emerging circus artists. I hope everyone enjoys this year’s Festival of Fools and come away feeling entertained and inspired.

Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland.