Belfast Walking Tours: Pub & Art Trail | Belfast Whiskey Week 2023

Name: Belfast Whiskey Week 2026
Start: 2026-07-24
End: 2026-08-01
Location: Belfast

Filed: 15 Jul 2023
By: Belfast Whiskey Week
Read: 5 min
Ref: BWW/23/996

On a Wednesday afternoon in October 2023, a group of whiskey enthusiasts laced up their shoes and stepped out into the heart of Belfast for one of the festival's most-loved recurring events — the Belfast Walking Tours: Public Houses & Art Trail. Guided by the irrepressible Larry and Paul, this three-hour wander through the city wove together the uisce beatha in your glass, the colour on the walls, and the deep duchas of Belfast's pub culture into something genuinely memorable. It wasn't just a tour; it was a love letter to the tír itself.

About This Event

A Truly Bespoke Tour; designed for Belfast Whiskey Week. Larry & Paul take you on a trail that allows you to discover the Vibrant Art Work that is Brightening up our City Centre, coupled with the discovery of our oldest taverns and the historic buildings that have been preserved for us to frequent. The Tour provides an insight into our rich Irish Pub culture and lively Street Art scene, while sipping whiskies from the festival and sampling our bespoke Donuts from "Oh Donut". The Craic from these lads alone is worth the ticket price. Timeslot: 12pm-3pm Start Time: 12pm Duration: 3hrs Venue: Multiple Locations Drinks: 4 Drams Type: Walking Tour Walking: Be Prepared to Walk around Belfast. Some of the areas & venues may not be fully accessible, please contact us @belfastwhiskeyweek on socials, or via email on marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com or 07773675179 (8am-8pm) to discuss. Disclaimers Please note that individual dietary requirements are not being catered for with any food at this event. Each Brand/Distillery and Collaborative Partner have agreed to our Min/Max Pour Policy. Please Respect this, and enjoy your festival responsibly. Festival Participants who are deemed to be too inebriated, or are not respecting themselves, will not be permitted into events and venues. ALL Hosts/Ushers/Collaborators and Venue Staff have the right to refuse participants without question and recourse. Please Drink Responsibly. All events are only available to those 18 years old and over. Do not purchase tickets if you are under the age of 18. Be prepared to produce ID if required. Venue staff & ushers may ask you to provide ID when showing your valid tickets. You may be refused enter to events if you can’t prove your age. Some venues may change, if they do, you will be notified. All events are subject to changes out of the control of the festival organisers. Any issues, please contact us @belfastwhiskeyweek on socials, or via email on marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com or 07773675179 (8am-8pm) to discuss. NO Refunds will be given. Please only buy tickets if you are prepared to attend the event. Tickets are transferable. If you are going to transfer tickets please email, marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com

Looking Back

There's a particular kind of magic in experiencing a city on foot, dram in hand, with someone who genuinely knows its stories. Larry and Paul brought exactly that energy to this 12pm–3pm session, guiding participants through streets that hold centuries of seanchas — from the grand Victorian facades of the city centre to the vivid murals and street art that have, in recent years, transformed Belfast's walls into an open-air gallery. The tour was designed specifically for Belfast Whiskey Week, and that bespoke quality showed in every turn and stop.

Four drams were poured across the afternoon, each one taken in context — in the snug of a storied old tavern, or perhaps on a corner where a sprawling mural bloomed across an entire gable end. The whiskeys themselves came from the festival programme, giving participants a chance to taste their way through the week's wider offering at a pace that felt unhurried and human. This wasn't a tasting masterclass, nor was it meant to be; it was whiskey as it should often be drunk — with company, with place, with purpose. If you're curious about how Belfast's whiskey landscape maps out across the city, our Whiskey Map gives a sense of just how much this city has to offer.

Between drams, the unlikely hero of the afternoon was the donut. Oh Donut provided bespoke creations that paired — improbably and brilliantly — with the whiskies on offer, and more than a few participants admitted that the combination was one they hadn't seen coming. It's a small detail, but it speaks to the care that goes into putting this tour together: this wasn't a default experience bolted onto a festival, it was crafted from scratch. That spirit runs through several of BWW2023's walking events — Belfast Hidden Tours: Walking, Whiskies & Whispers offered its own distinct take on the city-on-foot format, while Irish Whiskey Review: Walking With Marty brought a more whiskey-focused lens to the streets.

What set Larry and Paul apart, though, was the craic — and that word earns its place here, because the event listings themselves said it plainly: the craic from these lads alone is worth the ticket price. That's a bold claim, and from all accounts, it held up. Their knowledge of Belfast's pub history is worn lightly, shared generously, and threaded through with the kind of warmth that makes you feel you've known the city your whole life, even if you've only just arrived. The oldest taverns on the route carry their age well — preserved, frequented, full of life — and in the hands of a good guide, they become something more than a stop on an itinerary.

This tour ran multiple times across the 2023 festival week, and it's not hard to see why. It represents something close to the heart of what Belfast Whiskey Week does best: taking the glass out of the tasting room and putting it back into the city where the stories live. Sláinte to Larry, Paul, and everyone who walked with them.