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Climate Craic
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.
Learn more)
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Under the Shelter – Competition Results
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.
Learn more
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SPARK Creative Family Fun Day
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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Legacy of ‘An Irish Goodbye’ celebrated with new mural in Belfast city centre
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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Chill with Gill Cafe
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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University of Ulster students contribute outstanding photography to Belfast 2024
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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SEN Reform NI Wellbeing Day
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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Threads of Empowerment - Conway Education Centre
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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Ways to Celebrate Samhain
Blog: 5 min
3 suggestions for simple but meaningful ways you could mark the season in an alley near you.
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Boom Clap Play Unveils “Wiggle Room”: An Interactive work that melds Art, Technology, and Play at Belfast 2024
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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First Living Mural unveiled at Cliftonville FC as part of Safari in the City
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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Stories of Shadow and Light
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.
Learn more)
Ceramic Treasures Invite New Perspective on Belfast’s Forgotten Alleyways
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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Ballynafest - an Open Ormeau project
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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Shannen McNeice and Replay Theatre - Between Galaxies
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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Late Night Art East Belfast - Platform Arts
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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New floating pavilion ‘DRIFT’ brings sonic art, cinema, stargazing and more to the River Lagan
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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Under the Shelter of Each Other/ Ar Scáth a Chéile
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.
Learn more)
All hands on deck for The Lagan Lighter
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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Iconic Belfast dock to be flooded with light and sound in spectacular outdoor theatre show
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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Building The Lagan Lighter
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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9ft in Common - How to celebrate Lughnasadh
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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9ft in Common - Participatory Budgeting
Blog: 5 min
Amberlea Neely reflects on 9ft in Common's recent voting day on June 7th.
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Participatory budgeting with 9ft in Common
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!
Learn more)
Wiggle Room: Co-creation
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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ROOTS: Transforming Belfast's Shared Space at Black Mountain
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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Hit The North - Paint Jam
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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Midsummer at the Lyric - Meet and Greet
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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‘Bank of Ideas’ recipients - Photo Gallery
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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Fall under the spell of A Midsummer Night's Dream outdoor magic at The Lyric
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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Wild Belfast member helps discover a brand new species of weevil!
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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The Bank of Ideas Voting Day
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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Midsummer dreams by the banks of the River Lagan
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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Belfast set for a weekend of colour and creativity to welcome Little Amal
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)
Heritage skills brought back to life through Belfast 2024 programme
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.
More info)
9ft in Common - Ways to celebrate Bealtaine
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)
The Hearth - The people of Belfast are making a film!
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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‘Bank of Ideas’ now open for submissions
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.
Learn more)
Belfast to welcome Little Amal with free family events this May
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.
Learn more)
Catching up with Valentina from Wild Belfast
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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Say hello to Another World Belfast CIC!
Video: 2 min
Say hello to Becky and Connor, the masterminds behind the magic of Another World Belfast CIC!
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Belfast 2024 Launch - 2 Royal Avenue
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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9ft in Common - Alleyways: Growing Potential
Blog: 5 min
Meadhbh from 9ft in Common examines three different alleyways across Belfast.
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Internationally acclaimed ‘The Walk’ confirmed for Belfast 2024 programme
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.
Learn more