What with the new year's surfeit of empty wallets and booze-addled heads, early January doesn't seem like the most auspicious time for a festival. But Belfast's "Out to Lunch Festival" - the popular mini arts festival which runs until January 25th - knows that patrons need to be treated tenderly at this time of year. That's the secret of its success.
So it offers up steaming bowls of chicken curry and rice alongside bite-size (and affordable) chunks of lunchtime theatre, talks, comedy, music, art and more, in a variety of Cathedral Quarter venues. There are also evening shows for those who can't make it during the daytime.
Today, Duke Special presents The Silhouette Old Time Mystery Showat the Black Box while on Tuesday, Maeve Higgins goes on stage with Kitten Bridesat the same venue. Other shows worth catching include Life Shop Till You Drop, a spoof on self-help books, on Tuesday, and slide guitarist Dave Arcari and the Bonnevilles on January 17th. www.cqaf.com