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A year-long research project exploring the untapped potential of Belfast’s urban alleyways has culminated in a series of recommendations, which set out how citizens could reclaim and repurpose up to 76 football pitches worth of vital public space.
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Blog: 3 min
Taking the pulse of the city in 2024 is a film crafted from footage captured by and starring the people of Belfast which is set to hit the big screen next month, as Belfast Film Festival hosts the world premiere of The Hearth.
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Blog: 5 min
We recently caught up with Perla Mansour from Wild Belfast to hear more about their second Living Mural installation in the Linen Quarter and explore the inspiration behind its design.
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Blog: 5 min
We caught up with Jacinta Hawley to find out the story behind Climate Craic, which she started in 2021 as a way to get people out of their houses and interacting again after the COVID crisis broke community ties.
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Blog: 5 min
The SPARK Creative Family Fun Day on Saturday, 3 August, saw over 500 visitors gather at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, to enjoy a unique event tailored for neurodivergent families.
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Blog: 3 min
A new mural has been unveiled in Belfast city centre, celebrating the Oscar-winning short movie An Irish Goodbye. The colourful artwork, on Winetavern Street in the Smithfield area, has been created by street arts collective Peaball – part of the team behind the iconic Derry Girls mural.
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Blog: 5 min
We caught up with Gill Henderson, who has been running supportive Yoga for Anxiety classes weekly on Mondays for Suicide Awareness at the Falls Road library.
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Blog: 5 min
Artists Robin Price and Johanna Leech have been working together with Belfast’s coder dojos to create interactive laser arcade games featuring local species affected by climate change. These co-designed games will finally be playable on the sides of buildings by the public in the Winter of 2024.
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Blog: 5 min
Architecture Night celebrated 11 entrants to the ‘Under the Shelter of Each Other/ Ar Scáth a Chéile’ Design Competition. The competition challenged designers, makers and anyone with a good idea, to propose creative ideas for a wall-mounted collapsible shelter in a residential alleyway in Belfast.
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Blog: 5 min
As part of their Professional Practice Module on the second year of the Ulster University Photography with Video course, students were given the opportunity to add to the bank of images for the Belfast 2024 project.
Let's check out their photos!
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Blog: 3 min
We caught up with Dorothy Murray from SEN Reform NI who received funding for a parents wellness day through the Bank of Ideas.
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Blog: 3 min
We caught up with Conway Education Centre's Nina Robinson to hear about their fashion upcycling project which was funded through the Bank of Ideas.
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Blog: 5 min
3 suggestions for simple but meaningful ways you could mark the season in an alley near you.
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Video: 5 min
An immersive experience designed with children, for children, set to transform the landscape of play in Northern Ireland.
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Video: 5 min
As part of Belfast 2024, Wild Belfast are delivering a series of living murals through the 'Safari in the City' project across the Belfast City Council area. The initiative combines art and wildlife conservation aiming to raise awareness and inspire action. We hear from the team about what was involved in making the first living mural at Cliftonville Football Club.
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Blog: 5 min
Stories of Shadow and Light is a project from Shared Reading at the Duncairn, led by Marnie Kennedy. The idea received a boost of support from the public at the Bank of Ideas voting day, and was awarded £2,000 of funding.
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Blog: 5 min
An exciting research project designed to explore the untapped potential of Belfast’s urban alleyways and inspire new thinking on the use of our city’s forgotten spaces was unveiled at a special exhibition over the Autumn equinox.
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Blog: 5 min
Ballynafest, a Bank of Ideas project from voluntary community group Open Ormeau, was held the first Saturday of September in Ormeau Park. It was a free, family friendly fun day running for the fourth year.
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Blog: 5 min
We catch up with Shannen McNeice to hear about her experience of going through the Bank of Ideas process and her plans for the future.
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Blog: 5 min
From when they came on board as two of the five voluntary co-directors of Platform Arts recently, Ryan Allen and Tarah McGonigle had an idea to celebrate the burgeoning art scene in East Belfast by bringing a Late Night Art event to the area.
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Blog: 5 min
Belfast's Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Andrew McCormick has officially launched 'DRIFT', a new art installation on the River Lagan commissioned by Belfast 2024.
A collaboration between OGU Architects, MMAS and sound artist Matilde Meireles, DRIFT is a temporary floating pavilion where people can come to enjoy the multi-sensory experience of being on the water.
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Blog: 5 min
‘Under the Shelter of Each Other/Ar Scáth a Chéile’ is a collaboration between 9ft in Common, Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) and JP Corry Design Competition as part of a Belfast 2024 commission. With a first prize of £1,500, it challenges designers, makers, and anyone with a good idea, to propose creative ideas for a wall-mounted, collapsible shelter in a residential alleyway in Belfast.
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Video: 1 min 33 secs
Paddy Bloomer’s incredible vessel had to make its way from Maritime Mile to Ravenhill Reach where it was launched into the Lagan to take part in the Waterworks celebrations.
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Blog: 5 min
Thompson Dock, known as the birthplace of Titanic, is getting ready to become awash with light and sound as immersive outdoor theatre show “Shadowdock” puts the city’s maritime heritage in the spotlight.
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Video: 1 min
We caught up with artist-plumber-inventor-explorer Paddy Bloomer as he constructed his incredible vessel The Lagan Lighter, which was commissioned for Belfast 2024.
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Blog: 3 min
Observed around August 1st, Lughnasadh marks the beginning of the harvest season – a time of abundance, gratitude and community. The name comes from the celtic sun god Lugh. Here are some suggestions for simple yet meaningful ways you can celebrate the season in your alley.
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Blog: 5 min
Amberlea Neely reflects on 9ft in Common's recent voting day on June 7th.
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Video: 2 min
We caught up with 9ft in Common as they helped local Belfast residents transform their alleyways in new and exciting ways with the aid of participatory budgeting!
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Blog: 3 min
As part of Belfast 2024, Boom Clap Play is creating an interactive art space for children. A space that can be explored and interacted with, but also allowing space for free play activities, which means encouraging open-ended exploration with no set rules or objectives.
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Blog: 5 min
An ambitious and multi-dimensional large scale work, with Live Dance, Poetry, Storytelling & Active Participation in the newly designed and planted Community Garden.
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Video: 2 min
We caught up with Adam Turkington from Seedhead Arts to chat about why street art is so important for bringing creativity to any city.
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Video: 3 min
Meet Lyric Belfast's incredible collaborators for their #AMidsummerNightsDream performances which includes ArtsEkta, Chinese Welfare Association NI, Kids in Control with live music provided by Beyond Skin.
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Blog: 5 min
Almost 30 local creative projects will take place across Belfast this summer, thanks to funding from Belfast City Council’s Belfast 2024 programme.
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Blog: 5 min
This summer fall under the spell of Shakespeare’s most joyful and popular comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by Lyric Theatre Belfast, in collaboration with Belfast City Council’s Belfast 2024 programme.
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Blog: 8 min
We caught up with the team at Wild Belfast to learn more about their citizen science project 'Safari in the City' and also hear about their role in the recent discovery of a new species of weevil.
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Video: 1 min
Great ideas means happy faces! Here are some of the fantastic people who were behind the fantastic ideas at our Bank of Ideas Voting Day at the weekend. We were blown away by the creativity people put into their stalls and by the turn-out of all the voters, over 1000 of you, who came down to have your say.
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Blog: 5 min
The Lyric Theatre Belfast has revealed exciting plans for their forthcoming Midsummer at the Lyric Festival as part of Belfast City Council’s Belfast 2024.
From Thurs 4 July - Sun 7 July 2024, the banks of the River Lagan will be transformed into a magical place with faeries, comedy and mischief including a first time outdoor theatre space for the festival's centrepiece, an adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Plus a range of inclusive, accessible community-led artistic collaborations including a community celebration on Sun 30 June.
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Blog: 5 min
Belfast will host four days of free family entertainment this weekend, 16-19 May, as it becomes the latest stop on Little Amal’s journey.
More info)
Blog: 5 min
One of our Belfast 2024 projects – Water Works - will see 10,000 boats setting sail down the River Lagan on Saturday 3 August, most of which will be created by residents and school pupils through workshops and events led by arts organisation PS2.
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Blog: 3 min
One of the most significant dates in ancient Ireland was the Festival Of Bealtaine. Bealtaine means “Bright Fire”, thus celebrated as the Fire Festival with bonfires to honour the sun. Occurring at the beginning of May, the cross quarter day marking the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
More info
Blog: 4 min
Belfast Film Festival is delighted to be initiating a new film project in the city. ‘The Hearth’ project will co-create a film made by the people of Belfast for the people of Belfast. The project will capture hundreds of stores and create a self portrait of our city during the coming year.
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Video: 5 min
The ‘Bank of Ideas’ is offering up to £2,000 to individuals, schools and community groups keen to do something special in their neighbourhoods during the city’s biggest ever creative and cultural celebration.
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Blog: 5 min
Free tickets are now available for a series of free family events in Belfast from 16-19 May to welcome world-renowned creative project ‘Little Amal’ – a signature event in Belfast City Council's Belfast 2024 programme.
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Video: 2 min
We caught up with Valentina from Wild Belfast to talk about ‘Safari in the City’ and their wonderful biodiversity of Belfast.
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Video: 2 min
Say hello to Becky and Connor, the masterminds behind the magic of Another World Belfast CIC!
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Video: 1 min 13 secs
Belfast is buzzing after the brilliant launch of #Belfast2024!
A massive thank you to everyone who came along, explored and joined in the fun – your energy, enthusiasm and excitement made it an unforgettable day!
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Blog: 5 min
Meadhbh from 9ft in Common examines three different alleyways across Belfast.
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Blog: 3 min
‘The Walk’, a world-renowned creative project featuring Little Amal, a giant puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, will arrive in Belfast from 16-19 May - the latest event to be confirmed as part of Belfast City Council’s Belfast 2024 programme.
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