Visitor exhibition

City Hall Visitor Exhibition

The permanent visitor exhibition opened in 2017 and is located on the ground floor east wing of Belfast City Hall.  It offers a self-guided journey from Belfast’s past to present, showing the vibrancy and diversity of the city across six themed zones. View the exhibition themes.

The exhibition stretches through 16 separate rooms, all presented within the original architecture of City Hall as designed by Alfred Brumwell Thomas in the late 1890s. It is free to visit the exhibition.

Augmented Reality Experience

We've added a magical augmented reality (AR) experience to the City Hall exhibition. 

When visitors enter rooms seven, eight and nine, they are invited by an animated seahorse from the Belfast Coat of Arms to experience the digital magic of augmented reality. The city’s hidden river is revealed, walls crumble to uncover secret passageways, and books open to let their stories take flight.  

The immersive journey begins in a virtual library where you can explore Belfast’s words and accent as flying books tell their stories and portraits reveal a hidden secret.

Visitors are then transported to Belfast’s past, present and future through 3D maps.

• Meet Peggy Barclay of Sugarhouse Entry, discover the hidden history of the city’s streets, and see what the city of the future could look like, inspired by Belfast school children and their innovative drawings of flying cars, slides on buildings, and floating bubble houses.
• Enjoy playing interactive street games as you have a kick around with a football, fire a catapult at tin cans, and collect coins as you 'run’ through Belfast's streets.
• Create your own ‘Instagrammable’ works of postcard art with Belfast’s landmarks, ready to share on social media. 

Part of the Belfast 2024 city-wide creative celebration, this new experience uses the latest digital technology including augmented reality, projection technologies, and gesture-controlled interactive gaming.

The exhibition is free to visit but you need to book a ticket.

Watch our video about the AR experience. This video is one minute and 12 seconds long.

This trial of cutting-edge digital technology across three rooms of the exhibition is the result of a unique collaboration between Belfast City Council and BT and offers visitors interactive ways to explore the stories of our city.  

Visitor exhibition booking information

​You can book exhibition tickets for up to nine people by email exhibitionbookings@belfastcity.gov.uk

For walk-in bookings on the day of your visit, go to City Hall reception and staff will help. Walk-in bookings are subject to availability per session. 

The Visitor Exhibition is self-guided. You should arrive five minutes before your exhibition booking time and check in at City Hall reception.

Group visits

Groups of 10 people or over can book by email visitcityhall@belfastcity.gov.uk.

Entrance to the exhibition is free for community and school groups. Charges may apply for commercial tour groups.

Exhibition opening hours

For opening times during public and bank holidays, go to our Holiday arrangements.

Visitors with special requirements

We recommend that visitors or groups with special requirements email visitcityhall@belfastcity.gov.uk or call 028 9027 0456 before visiting.

Induction loops

Induction loops are available at the Visitor Exhibition and Tour Reception, The Bobbin Coffee Shop and Gift Shop. The City Hall exhibition is fully wheelchair accessible on the ground floor of City Hall. 

Sign Language

We have sign language videos that give an overview of each room in our exhibition in three languages. These can be downloaded to your device before arrival or downloaded on site.

• British Sign Language – City Hall Visitor Exhibition
• Irish Sign Language – City Hall Visitor Exhibition
• International Signs – City Hall Visitor Exhibition

Gift shop

The gift shop is in the main reception and is open:

• Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 4.30pm

You can buy souvenirs including:

• pens
• pencils
• magnets
• books
• keyrings
• toys and 
• ceramics.

We only accept contactless and card payments in the gift shop.

Exhibition themes

There are six main themes in our exhibition.