The Belfast Empire Music Hall

The comedy club

The Empire Laughs Back has run since 1992 and calls itself Belfast's longest-running comedy club, which is a claim nobody in the city bothers to argue with. It is every Tuesday, doors 7:30pm, £12 in. The bills mix Irish, UK and international circuit acts. Tickets go through empirelaughsback.com rather than the venue's own checkout.

Live music in the basement Tuesday to Sunday The Empire Laughs Back comedy club every Tuesday, £12 Food served 12pm to 8pm Thursday to Saturday Romanesque Revival church interior from 1874 Walk-in bar, no booking for tables On Botanic Avenue, a short walk from Botanic station

Good to know before you go:

Something is on nearly every night, split between the weekly comedy club, touring and local bands, and festival dates. The Empire takes part in Belfast Fleadh and the Belfast International Arts Festival, so August and October bring extra listings.

What to bring

🎟️Your ticketBigger gigs sell out — book ahead rather than chancing the door.

🪪IDIt’s an over-18s room, so bring photo ID if you look anywhere near it.

💷A bit of cashHandy for the door, the cloakroom and the taxi home.

📱The what’s-on pageThe listings change weekly — check who’s playing before you go.

Everything before you go

Type

ticketed live music hall, comedy club and bar in a converted church

Who it's for

adults; age policy is set per event and not published venue-wide, so confirm before booking for under-18s

Music

live bands in the basement Tuesday to Sunday, plus tribute nights and NI showcases

Tickets

comedy club £12; music ticketed per event, prices on each listing; bar itself is free to walk into

Food

yes, served 12pm to 8pm Thursday to Saturday

When

live music Tuesday to Sunday evenings; comedy club Tuesdays, doors 7:30pm

Parking

on-street and city-centre car parks around Botanic Avenue; Botanic rail station is close

Address

42 Botanic Avenue, Belfast BT7 1JQ

Questions

Before you go

Can we bring the kids?

adults; age policy is set per event and not published venue-wide, so confirm before booking for under-18s

What's the music like?

live bands in the basement Tuesday to Sunday, plus tribute nights and NI showcases

Do I need a ticket?

comedy club £12; music ticketed per event, prices on each listing; bar itself is free to walk into

Do they do food?

yes, served 12pm to 8pm Thursday to Saturday

When is it on?

live music Tuesday to Sunday evenings; comedy club Tuesdays, doors 7:30pm

Getting there

The Belfast Empire Music Hall is at 42 Botanic Avenue, Belfast BT7 1JQ. on-street and city-centre car parks around Botanic Avenue; Botanic rail station is close. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google Maps Official website See it on our map

Nearby

Make more of the day

More days out around BelfastSee what else is close by More live music across NISessions, gigs and music centres

The story

From pulpit to stage

The building at 42 Botanic Avenue was put up in 1874 for the Reformed Presbyterian Church, designed by the architect William Batt in Romanesque Revival style. In 1930 it was rented to the Irish Evangelical Church, later the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

By the late 1960s the congregation had thinned and the building was sold. It served as a cinema, then a bingo hall, before opening as the Belfast Empire Music Hall in 1987. Nearly forty years on it is still doing the job, which is longer than it spent as a cinema and bingo hall combined.