Former United States President Barack Obama comes to Belfast for a rare live appearance offering audiences the opportunity to hear directly from one of the most significant political figures of the modern era.
Taking place during Black History Month, the evening will see Obama discuss leadership, democracy, change and the challenges facing America and the wider world as the United States marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. The Belfast appearance is one of only three dates on this October 2026 tour, alongside Glasgow and Manchester.
Obama’s election to the White House represented a landmark moment in Black history.
Elected in November 2008, he became the 44th President of the United States and the first African American to hold the office, serving two terms from 2009 until 2017.
His journey to the presidency was equally remarkable. Born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and American mother, Obama moved to Chicago after university and worked as a community organiser before studying law at Harvard.
There he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. He later worked as a civil rights attorney before entering elected politics and eventually winning a seat in the United States Senate.
Since leaving office, Obama has focused much of his work through the Obama Foundation on supporting emerging leaders and encouraging civic participation around the world.
His Belfast appearance therefore offers more than an evening of political conversation.
Coming in the heart of Black History Month, it provides an opportunity to hear from a man whose election changed an important barrier in American political history and whose personal story connects African heritage, the African American experience and modern public leadership.
The O2 Belfast confirms the event for Tuesday 13th October 2026, with the venue located in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.
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An Evening with President Barack Obama
Former United States President Barack Obama comes to Belfast for a rare live appearance offering audiences the opportunity…