Belfast International Arts Festival has entered a new era with the appointment of Chris McCreery as Artistic Director and Chief Executive. Taking up the reins later this year, McCreery succeeds Richard Wakely, whose tenure firmly established the festival as a cornerstone of international arts and culture.

Few figures in the city’s cultural life have left such a broad imprint as McCreery. From founding the NI Science Festival – now one of Europe’s most ambitious celebrations of science, technology and the arts – to steering Belfast City Council’s Cultural Strategy, he has consistently delivered on bold ideas with lasting impact. His leadership oversaw a multi-million-pound investment portfolio supporting over 100 cultural organisations, and he was central in amplifying Belfast’s global standing as a UNESCO City of Music.

With that experience behind him, McCreery steps into the role at a festival that has, since 1962, brought the world to Belfast and Belfast to the world. His appointment signals both continuity and renewal: a leader whose vision has already shaped the city’s cultural landscape now tasked with guiding its longest-running international festival into an even more ambitious future.