City of Derry International Choir Festival takes singing out of the concert hall and into the heart of communities this month
People across the North West might want to listen out later this month - because during the City of Derry International Choir Festival, you never quite know where a choir might appear.
From shopping centres and cafés to community centres, schools, libraries, hotels and churches, the Festival is taking choral music beyond the traditional concert stage and bringing voices from across Ireland, the UK and Europe directly into communities over the festival weekend Thursday 22 October to Sunday 25 October
As part of an extensive programme of Community Concerts, Choral Trails and Sacred Trails, local people will have opportunities to encounter live singing in some unexpected places - whether they have bought a concert ticket or simply happen to be passing by.
It is all part of the City of Derry International Choir Festival’s ambition to make its 2026 Festival one that can be heard right across the city and wider North West.
On Friday 23 October, the community programme brings together local groups and visiting choirs at venues including St Catherine’s Primary School in Strabane, Bishop’s Field Community Centre, An Cultúrlann, U3A Foyle at Gransha and Cathedral Youth Club. Performers range from Derry and Donegal based groups to visiting choirs from England, Scotland, Wales to Germany, France, Estonia, Sweden and all over the island of Ireland.
And that is only the beginning.
On Saturday 24 October, the singing spreads even further. Community concerts will take place at St Augustine’s, Carlisle Road Methodist Church, the Museum of Free Derry, Londonderry Freemasons’ Hall and Eglinton Community Centre, while the programme also travels beyond the city to Letterkenny and Buncrana.
At the same time, the Festival’s Choral Trail will transform everyday spaces into impromptu stages.
Shoppers at Foyleside and the Richmond Centre could suddenly find themselves surrounded by song. Visitors to Central Library can stop and listen to choirs from home and abroad. There will be singing on the Millennium Forum Piazza, in local hotels and even over lunch at The Sandwich Co.
Across the weekend, these pop-up performances will feature choirs from Derry, Donegal, Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Wales, Switzerland, Edinburgh, Jersey and beyond - creating the possibility of stumbling across a performance almost anywhere.
Then on Sunday 25 October, the sound of the Festival moves into churches across the region for the Sacred Trail.
Congregations in Derry, Strabane, Limavady and Buncrana will welcome visiting choirs from France, Estonia, Sweden, Germany and Ireland, alongside choirs from Derry and Donegal. Venues include St Columb’s Cathedral, First Derry Presbyterian Church, Christ Church, All Saints Church of Ireland, St Mary’s Church in Melmount and St Mary’s Oratory in Buncrana.
The City of Derry International Choir Festival is principally funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with support from Derry City and Strabane District Council and our valued Festival sponsors. Additional funding through the PEACEPLUS Changemakers Programme supports elements of this year’s Community Programme, helping to bring choral music to communities across the region.
Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland expresses: “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to support the City of Derry International Choir Festival. We know that music and the arts make a difference to people and communities every day, connecting people through shared experiences and enriching their lives. This exciting programme of Community Concerts, Choral Trails and Sacred Trails reaches beyond the festival stages, bringing world-class music right into the heart of local communities across the North West and ensuring that more people from all backgrounds can enjoy arts and cultural experiences.”
The community programme sits alongside the Festival’s major concert and competition programme and comes as the City of Derry International Choir Festival prepares to welcome more than 100 choirs for its 2026 edition – the largest number in the Festival’s history.
But while international competitions and headline concerts bring audiences into some of the North West’s best-known venues, the community programme turns that idea on its head: instead of asking audiences to come to the Festival, the Festival comes to them.
There are performances to seek out and others to simply stumble upon; opportunities to hear local community singers alongside choirs that have travelled hundreds – and in some cases thousands - of miles to be part of the Festival.
No concert hall required. No knowledge of choral music necessary. You might just be in the right place at the right time.
The City of Derry International Choir Festival takes place from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 October 2026, bringing together more than 100 choirs for four days of concerts, competitions, workshops, community performances and singing throughout the city and wider North West.
So, this October, keep your ears open. Derry is about to break into song.
