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This year’s Christmas season kicked off on Saturday 16 November with the opening of the Christmas Market and our Christmas Lights Switch-on Event.
The celebrations continue during the festive season, with free events at 2 Royal Avenue’s Winter’s Den, plus a selection of festive activity in the city centre and beyond.
| Event title | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-loved Toy Appeal | Monday 11 November to Sunday 15 December | You can donate toys at our recycling centres |
| Belfast Christmas Market | Saturday 16 November to Sunday 22 December | Belfast City Hall grounds |
| Winter's Den at 2 Royal Avenue | Saturday 16 November to Wednesday 1 January | 2 Royal Avenue |
| Santa's Post Office | Saturday 16 November to Sunday 22 December | 2 Royal Avenue |
| Christmas Handmade and Vintage Fair | Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November, 12 noon to 5pm | Belfast Castle |
| Christmas Twilight Market | Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27, 4pm to 11pm | St George's Market |
| C S Lewis Winter Festival | Friday 29 November to Sunday 1 December | C S Lewis Square |
| Winter Circus | Friday 13 December to Wednesday 1 January | Writers' Square |
| Pantomimes | Various dates | Theatres across Belfast |
Some of our services and venue opening hours may be affected during the Christmas and New Year period. Check when your bin will be collected or when our offices are open. This page will be updated as information becomes available.
Most of us produce extra waste over the festive period, so it is important to know what goes in your bin, when your bin will be collected and what you can recycle, including Christmas trees, wrapping paper, crackers and Christmas cards.
Retailers are getting geared up for the festive season with extended opening hours - the perfect excuse to indulge in some late-night Christmas shopping.
The opening times for some of the main shops over the festive season are:
Some stores may open earlier on Sundays for browsing.
Opening times may vary. You should check individual store websites to confirm opening hours.
Translink is encouraging people to choose bus, coach and train to visit the city this Christmas. Or you can use park and ride and avoid bringing the car to the city. For more details, go to www.translink.co.uk (link opens in new window), call 028 9066 6630 or follow @Translink_NI on Twitter.
There will be additional late-night services in operation over the festive period. Read about these services (link opens in new window).
We publish information on all of our
Find all our city centre car parks
We operate and maintain public toilets in Belfast city centre and disabled access is available at 13 of our 14 public toilets.
City Hall has a Changing Places facility. View opening hours and access arrangements.
Belfast City Council is the Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the personal data it gathers for the purposes of sending regular event-related emails from Belfast City Council.
The council accepts that you are providing your personal data on the basis of consent and are positively agreeing for the council to hold and further use it.
The personal data may be shared internally within the council with staff who are involved in providing this service and where necessary, between internal departments with the purpose of supporting an effective delivery of service.
Your personal data will not be shared or disclosed to any other organisation without your consent, unless the law permits or places an obligation on the council to do so.
The personal data is held and stored by the council in a safe and secure manner and in compliance with Data Protection legislation and in line with the council’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedule.
If you have any queries regarding the processing of your personal data or wish to withdraw your consent to the processing of it, call the Events team on 028 9032 0202.
If you wish to contact the council’s Data Protection Officer, write to:
Belfast City Council,
City Hall Belfast,
BT1 5GS
or email
Read our privacy policy for further information.
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