Be Fleadh ready

The Fleadh Cheoil is one of the world’s biggest celebrations of Irish music and culture and one of the largest cultural festivals in Europe with trading volumes that mirror the entire Christmas trading period packed into just 7 days.

Belfast will host this year’s Fleadh Cheoil from Sunday, 2nd August to Sunday, 9th August.

For both retailers and foodservice operators, the Fleadh is much more than a festival. It is ideal for getting the word out about your business, with an estimated 800k attendees expected. 

Customers will flock to your stall, stand, food truck or premises, the important part is making sure you are equipped to handle them. 

Our advice for all businesses is to stock up early and cater for the varying customer types including international visitors, families, domestic visitors, campsite users, musicians and crew. 

If you plan to extend opening hours, make sure to update your opening hours on Google Maps and social platforms. 

Recruit and train staff early. Customers will ask for directions and information about the Fleadh. Make sure your staff is knowledgeable about the event and have city maps and fleadh brochures to hand. 

For food service businesses

Visibility and speed are often more important than extensive choices for local visitors and families, while international visitors will often seek authentic local experiences.  

Key tips 

• Streamline your menu to speed up service and reduce wait times.
• Introduce labour saving products to speed up preparation.
• Maximise takeaway opportunities. Offer grab and go options, coffee, pastries, cold drinks and snacks. 
• Stock up on disposables, condiments and consumables. 
• Introduce fast lanes and dedicated collection points for beverages and take-away. 
• Make menus available while customers queue to speed up decision making. 
• Display menus outside. Many visitors will make quick decisions based on what they can see immediately. 
• Implement QR code ordering. This allows your floor team to focus on running food and turning tables.

For retailers:

Think convenience, not just tourism. Other than the main quarters, locations near shuttle drop-off points will see high footfall. Staffing and stock planning should reflect transport schedules. 

The Campsites also create three new customer catchments areas and retailers need to be ready. Official camping facilities are planned at Ormeau Park, Falls Park and Titanic Quarter. Key categories in these areas are: personal hygiene, medicinal, weather ready products and mobile device chargers and batteries.

Key Tips

• Increase pay points within store to reduce queues. 
• Stock-up on key categories such as beverages, snacks and food packaging.   
• Introduce grab and go options for attendees between events. 
• Confirm your delivery schedule with suppliers well in advance. 
• Have extra staff available to restock shelves throughout the day.  

Important considerations for all businesses: 

1. Can your payment systems handle peak volumes?  
2. Do you have enough staff for an 8-day surge?  
3. Do you have enough stock of high-turnover items?  
4. Are your opening hours aligned with visitor movements?  
5. How do you minimise labour and maximise table turnover with a reduced menu? 

Street Trading
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