Record Store Day in Belfast, United Kingdom
Two dates to know: Record Store Day Black Friday is Friday, November 29, 2026, and the next main Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17, 2027.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual event built around independent record stores. The main event traditionally lands on the third Saturday of April each year; Record Store Day Black Friday is traditionally held the day after US Thanksgiving. Both days bring exclusive, limited-run vinyl and CD releases sold only at participating independent shops — not big-box retailers, and not mail order until the in-store exclusives sell through. Because pressings are limited, popular titles can sell out within the first hour, which is why a line-early culture has grown up around the day even at shops that are otherwise quiet on a weekday morning.
Tips for the day
- Arrive early. At busy shops, lines for popular titles can start well before opening.
- Bring cash. A cash line often moves faster than card on a shop's highest-volume day of the year.
- Check each shop's own site or Instagram in the week before the date — participating shops post their own opening time, line policy, and which exclusive titles they've ordered in.
- Release lists are first-come, first-served and vary store to store. A title in stock at one shop may not show up at another, even across town.
- Expect one-per-customer or per-household limits on the most in-demand titles.
- Not every independent record store participates every year, and allocations vary shop to shop — confirm directly with the shop rather than assuming based on a past year.
Shops to check in Belfast, United Kingdom
Independent record shops open in Belfast, United Kingdom right now. We don't yet track which specific shops participate in Record Store Day or what they've ordered in for a given year — check each shop's own site or Instagram close to the date for their exclusive-release list, opening time, and line policy.
- Bending Sound Records
Family-run vinyl specialist in central Bangor, Co. Down, opened on Record Store Day 2017; new releases and clean pre-owned vinyl across a wide genre mix, plus turntables, hi-fi and record-care gear.
4 sources
- Dragon Records
Long-running first-floor record shop off City Hall, open since April 2010 under Jeff Doherty and Kelvyn Williams; mostly second-hand vinyl and CD across indie, experimental, soul, funk, jazz, hip hop and reggae.
3 sources
- Hectic Records
New Cathedral Quarter shop (opened 2025) mixing new and used vinyl with an emphasis on rock, pop, punk and US imports; hundreds of records added weekly.
2 sources
- hmv
Belfast city-centre branch of the hmv chain, in Donegall Arcade off Castle Place; sells a wide range of vinyl alongside CDs, t-shirts, posters and audio gear. Accepted chain per this dataset's policy.
3 sources
- Octopus's Garden
Two-floor vintage clothing shop with a substantial records-and-CDs section; moved from Wellington Street to Lombard Street, re-incorporated as Octopus's Garden Belfast Ltd in August 2025.
3 sources
- Sound Advice
East Belfast record shop inside the historic Portview Trade Centre linen mill, founded by DJ/producer Marion Hawkes; new and used electronic, soul, disco and jazz vinyl with fresh deliveries weekly.
3 sources
- Starr Records
Run by Sinead Green and Jeff Doherty; relocated from its original Berry Street unit into the Oh Yeah Music Centre in October 2023, stocking new-release vinyl, merch and rarities, with regular in-store events.
3 sources
- Time Slip Records
Botanic Avenue record store selling new and used vinyl plus CDs and vintage clothes, open 7 days a week since 2017 in the former Yellow Submarine unit.
2 sources
- Vinyl Matters
Billed as Lisburn's first record shop in a generation; opened 30 April 2024 by Ray Dennison and his brother Sean on Railway Street, selling new and second-hand vinyl, CDs and t-shirts across all genres.
3 sources
- Voodoo Soup Records
Two floors of new and used vinyl near Smithfield Market behind CastleCourt, with a broad stock spanning rock, pop, jazz, blues, cult imports and reissues.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Belfast, United Kingdom.