If you have been waiting for an excuse to dust off your best outfit and actually get on your feet, the Ulster Hall is about to give you one. On Thursday 22 October, the hall transforms into a 1930s dance hall for 'The Devil's in the Dance Hall', an immersive night of swing and dance put on by the Belfast International Arts Festival and Belfast TradFest. Doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8:00pm, so there is time to settle in before things get moving.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Belfast and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
The whole thing is built around a real story. It was created by dancer and choreographer Edwina Guckian and The Gralton Big Band, and it takes its cue from Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland's rural dance halls in the early 20th century, specifically the 1935 Public Dance Halls Act. The show recreates the atmosphere of those old 'ballrooms of romance' as a form of defiance against church and state, so it is not just a night of dancing for dancing's sake.
That is the good news: you do not need to be a dancer to take part. Guckian leads the floor and teaches the steps as you go, so no prior experience is needed. The music runs the gamut from traditional Irish and sean-nós to swing, set dancing, shim-shamming, lindy hopping, foxtrots and slow sets, and the boundary between the stage and the floor is meant to dissolve entirely. It is pitched as a safe space where anyone can dance alone while the rest of the room applauds, which is a nice touch if you are not the type to drag someone onto the floor with you.
The music comes from The Gralton Big Band, a line-up of nine musicians playing 1930s-style old-time céilí swing mixed with jazz. Guckian herself is a sean-nós dancer and teacher from Drumsna in County Leitrim, and she choreographed Ken Loach's film Jimmy's Hall, which went to Cannes in 2014. The show sits within the 64th Belfast International Arts Festival, which runs from 14 October to 8 November, so it is one night in a wider month of programming.
On the practical side, there are two ways to take it in. A balcony seated ticket is £25 if you would rather watch, and a dance floor ticket is £30 if you intend to join in, though the floor is standing only. Both are sold through Ticket Tailor and are non-refundable, and the night is strictly 18 plus. There is a dress code, too: everyone is asked to dress elegantly, which fits the 1930s theme and gives you a reason to wear something you would not normally get out of the wardrobe.
It is worth knowing the room you are walking into. The Ulster Hall on Bedford Street is a Grade A listed building that opened in 1862, and it holds the Mulholland Grand Organ, a classical English pipe organ built by William Hill and Son. It can take 1,000 people seated or 1,850 standing, so there is plenty of space to move about. Between the history of the building and the story behind the show, it is a night that leans as much on its roots as it does on the dancing.
Published Date
19 October 2026
