Preview // 10 Awesome Things To Do This Week In NI / 13 – 19 January 2020

The holidays are well and truly over 🙁  and so we’ve finally put fingers to keyboard and are kicking things off in 2020 with ten awesome things to do in NI this week (13 – 19 January 2020 )! From family days out to gigs and cultural events, there should be something for everyone.  

1. 2020-Arenacross-Tour- 2020 Arenacross Tour Belfast, 17 – 18 January. The fastest motocross racers flock to the six-round series to take part in the UK’s richest off-road series. With bragging rights and a well-paid jackpot up for grabs, the riders leave nothing on the line resulting in knuckle to knuckle non-stop racing on the arena sized dirt battlefield. Cheer on local riders as they battle the international superstars from the age of seven up to the professionals.
2. So-Sing-On-with-Sean-Keane So Sing On with Seán Keane Magherafelt, 17 January. Traditional Irish, folk and even country and blues songs all lend themselves to his unique style and unforgettable voice. Growing up among singers and musicians, Seán learned the sean nós style of singing in the heart of his family. Today, Seán Keane continues to delight audiences all over the world with his live performances and innate vocal artistry.
3. Out-to-Lunch-Festival Out to Lunch Festival Belfast, 3 – 26 January. A lunch-based arts festival featuring the best in Comedy, Theatre, Literature and Music held in Belfast’s vibrant Cathedral Quarter. The 2020 edition features Badly Drawn Boy, Cerys Matthews, Janey Godley, Val McDermid, Joanne Harris and many more.
4. SimplyE-Exhibition SimplyE Exhibition Armagh, 2 – 31 January. Craftswirl @ Armagh Visitor Information Centre are delighted to showcase a beautiful exhibition by SimplyE for their January exhibition. SimplyE is a maker, designer and a weaver of bespoke leather and weave products for use within the home and fashion industry which are all individually hand woven from her design studio in County Armagh.
5.  Midleton-Whiskey-Experience Midleton Whiskey Experience Belfast, 15 January. Guests will enjoy a cocktail on arrival and canapés as the expert whiskey ambassador takes you through the Midleton range. Be one of the very first people in Northern Ireland to attend a guided tasting of the Midleton Very Rare 2019, as well as delighting in the Midleton Very Rare 2018, the Midleton, Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy and a Midleton Dair Ghaelach.
6. Walled-City-400 Walled City 400 Derry~Londonderry, 18 February 2019 to 31 March 2020. Last year marked the 400th anniversary of the completion of the Derry Walls. Built from 1613-1619, the Walls are the largest ancient monument in Northern Ireland, the only remaining Walled City in Ireland and one of the finest examples of Walled Cities in Europe.
7. On-Refusal-Representation-Resistance-in-Contemporary-American-Art On Refusal: Representation and Resistance in contemporary American Art Belfast, 25 October 2019 – 19 January 2020. Proposing the body as a site of political enquiry, ‘On Refusal’ explores a return to figuration in the practices of a generation of artists currently working out of the United States, and examines the political impetus for this reinvestment in the body and notions of embodiment as a subject of art in the context of contemporary America.
8. Life-Cycles-by-Lorna-Smyth Life Cycle by Lorna Smyth Enniskillen, 2 December 2019 – 18 April 2020. This showcase of new works, curated by renowned artist Lorna Smyth, encompasses the four seasons in one year. Lorna’s art emphasises the world around us, highlights her love of nature and captures a sense of belonging regardless of the place name.
9. Lost-Childhood-Exhibition Lost Childhood Exhibition Derry~Londonderry, 2 December 2019 – 31^st January 2020. This December, take a trip to the award-winning Museum of Free Derry to see one of their most poignant and affective exhibitions yet, ‘Lost Childhood Exhibition’.
10. Philanthropy-Past-and-Present-Tour Philanthropy Past and Present, Tour of Clifton House Belfast, 10 January – 28 February. Clifton House is an impressive Georgian building, set in tranquil landscaped gardens in the heart of Belfast. Opened in 1774 by Belfast Charitable Society, the building was used as a nursing home and hospital for older people, now transformed into a unique event venue and visitor attraction. The January and February tours explore the city’s oldest working building, set up by philanthropic merchants as the Belfast Poor House. Hear stories of its work and those who sought refuge in its walls.

Credit to www.discovernorthernireland.com, visit their site for much more info on whats happening in Norn Iron.