Banana Block is a living museum and event space set within a historic linen mill in East Belfast.
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July at Banana Block 🌟
This month, we’re buzzing with a variety of events! From intimate record store gatherings to drag brunches and raves, there’s something for everyone. Prefer a laid-back vibe? Enjoy afternoon tea or our relaxing Sunday market
Looking for a casual visit? Drop by for a coffee or bagel and take advantage of our midweek parents and tots sessions or our ‘working from here’ days.
Join us and make the most of July at Banana Block 🪩
🏳️🌈 Celebrate Pride Month at Banana Block’s Drag Brunch! 🌈
Join us for a fabulous Drag Brunch extravaganza to kick off Pride Month in style! Indulge in a sensational culinary experience with our special ticket options:🎉
£15 Ticket: Enjoy a delightful cocktail upon arrival, participate in exciting games, and savor prosecco throughout the event.
£27 Ticket: Treat yourself to a cocktail, indulge in prosecco, enjoy delicious food from either Hi Burger or Bodega Bagels, and join in the fun games.Get ready for a dazzling celebration of inclusivity, entertainment, games, sparkling prosecco, and delectable delights!
Book your tickets now and let the festivities begin at Banana Block’s Brunch! 🥂🌟
Link in bio 💫
Special deal this weekend for all the da’s 🕺
Just £3 for any of our beers when you get a bagel or burger from and
Come down any time this weekend and treat your old man to grub and a drink 🍻
Join Artist in Residence, Beth Alexander, in a laid-back afternoon workshop based on her open call for artwork, “What is home to you?” 💫🏡
It’s a chance to create and tell stories of what comes to mind when you think of home in an open group setting. All art forms are welcome: visual, literary, musical – anything that can fit within the size of a postcard (est. 5x7)
Saturday afternoon: 2-4
Takes place at the back of Banana Block
Session is free and unticketed, drop ins welcome and staying for the whole thing isn’t necessary
Paper, colored pencils, graphite pencils, & pens will be supplied, but bringing own materials is encouraged if you want something specific
Open to all levels of experience – led by Beth, but is a create at your own pace and skill experience.
Join us for this Thursday for with Andi Jervis 📈
Andi is the Founder and Strategy Director of Eximo Marketing, a marketing strategy consultancy based in Bangor and Liverpool and will explain why talking to customers should be the foundation of everything you do in marketing.
This session will demonstrate how hearing from real people can form insights that inform your strategy and can improve how you deliver all your marketing activity. There’s even a bonus practical section of this session, where Andi will give you some practical tips and advice on how to capture great feedback from customers.
Andi holds an MSc in Marketing and the Marketing Week Mini MBA in Marketing. Alongside his consulting work, he teaches marketing strategy at Liverpool John Moores University and hosts the Strategy Sessions podcast, a show that interviews some of the best marketers in the world.
Date: Thursday 23rd May 6-8pm
Location: Banana Block, Newtownards Road
Theme: Insights That Inform Your Strategy
Price: £9.50
Parking: There is limited parking space at Portview, free parking is available on the main road (& surrounding areas) and at Connswater Shopping Centre. Glider and Bus Stops are near by.
Sign up link in our bio 💫
This Friday night welcome in store with a live Q&A hosted by author Jim Ottewill celebrating the updated version of Jim’s book ‘Out Of Space’
The book plots a course through the different UK towns and cities club culture has found a home. From Glasgow to Margate via Manchester, Sheffield and unlikely dance music meccas such as Coalville and Todmorden, ‘Out Of Space’ maps where electronic music has thrived, and where it might be headed next..
Jim will be in conversation with Belfast legend Timmy Stewart (The Night Institute, Extended Play, Black Bones), freelance writer & 1/2 of Plain Sailing, Andrew Moore, alongside Sound Advice owner & DJ, Marion Hawkes.
A very timely and important discussion on the battle spaces in the current night time economy face and the challenges presented along the way.
We will have the revised book on sale aswell as a selection of Velocity Press back catalogue titles.
This event is free, grab a gratis ticket via the link in our bio 💫
Join .greeneast for their intimate outdoor planter workshop 🪴
You’ll enjoy hands-on learning from gardening experts, and master creative techniques to craft your very own custom planters.
Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned green thumb, the workshop is designed to provide you with valuable skills about what compost to choose, how to select the right plants and how to ensure they stay healthy and happy.
You’ll get step-by-step guidance on making and designing planters for outdoors with an experienced horticulturalist.
Create a planter that will last all summer long, designed by you!🌺
Spots are limited to keep sessions interactive and fun.
Link in bio for tickets 💫
Join this May for their Drink & Draw evenings 🎨
Tackling portrait drawing this month! We’ll practice capturing expressive faces from photo references and real life 💫
Learn how to grasp a models unique features quickly, master the art of stylising and sketching portraits using coloured pencils.
Tickets cost £13- as usual, materials will be provided, along with a drink of your choice from the Banana Bar 🍻
Previous life drawing experience recommended but not essential.
Tickets in bio 🎟️
May at Banana Block 💫
We’ve got an all new open mic night for experimental music and some friendly competition with our beer pong tournament 🍻
Find the frequency at Sound Advice for Mystic Arts Records event with Black Bones, or let your creative juices flow at ABC’s Drink & Draw session 🎨
If you’re curious about digital marketing or just love a good market, we’ve got you covered with sessions and bazaar ✨
Tickets in bio for whatever floats your boat 🍌
Get ready to celebrate International Beer Pong Day in style at Banana Block🍻
We’ve joined forces with Ri-Ra Lager for our inaugural Beer Pong Tournament. Round up your best bud and gear up for knockout rounds to claim the ultimate beer pong trophy.
We’ve got FREE Ri-Ra Lager exclusively for tournament players, plus the first 40 guests score a free one on the house! Not in the competitive spirit? No worries, beer pong tables will be scattered throughout the venue for spontaneous matches—all you need is a drink from the bar!
Doors open at 6:30pm, tournament starts at 7. Who’s taking the trophy? Join us and find out!
Tickets in bio 🎟️ (1 per team)
Join us this Wednesday as we celebrate International Guide Dogs Day with a special visit from 🐾🦮
Come meet the team and the incredible companions and discover the remarkable work they do in enhancing peoples lives💫
Don’t miss out! See you there 🐶
This Saturday join for Record Store Day 💫
While they may not have RSD title, they do have 3 incredible DJs spinning beats, beer flowing, an abundance of fantastic stock, and exciting giveaways 💽
Running from 12-5pm, don’t miss out 🪩
Matt Stevenson is a content creator and agency owner who specialises in video marketing and social media strategy. He has amassed over 20,000,000 views across his career, and has worked with creators and businesses that have amassed hundreds of millions of views.
His hospitality marketing brand Food Featured has amassed 7,000,000+ views in the last three months, and has appeared on TV and in local media such as News Letter, The Irish News and Belfast Live. Matt is a member of TikTok’s exclusive Creativity Program with multiple accounts.
How Businesses Can Master Social Media Using Video
In this talk, Matt will share tips & strategies that businesses can use to get more views, likes and followers on social media. You’ll leave the talk with actionable tactics that you can use to guide your social media growth. There will be no withholding of secrets - Matt will reveal actual techniques that he has used on his own journey to 20,000,000+ views online.
6-6.30pm Pizza & Networking
6.30-7.30pm Talk
7.30-8pm Q&A & Finish
Tickets in bio 💫
From Belfast to beyond, home means something unique to each of us. Join our next artist in residence in an international artistic project to capture the essence of home 🌍✨
What is HOME to you?
Every day, Belfast‘s identity is growing larger on an international scale. It’s attracting visitors and migrants from all over the world; some who choose to come and some who do not have a choice. Locals, expats, immigrants, alike everyone has their own idea of what “home” means. Whether it’s sitting around the table with loved ones, or a fishpond in the backyard, or a view from the top of a mountain overlooking the sea, it’s the image that enters our mind as soon as the word is spoken. Home can also be several places at once, or even a person or thing. No matter who or where, it’s important to highlight not only the visions of the surrounding community, but also of those who might be connected to it from afar, so we’re rolling out an international open call for artwork based around the question posed – What is HOME to you?
We are looking for artwork that is anywhere between postcard and A5 (5.5”x 8.5”) sizes – a fun size that also makes it easier for the potential international participants to send through the mail! The art can be of any medium; paint, graphite, charcoal, quilting, even written word. Use what is most comfortable for you and reminds you most of home! There will also be a Saturday workshop in March or April for those who want to create their piece in-house and take part in an audio recording where they can share the meaning behind their pieces. The project will culminate into a large collage of the contributed work that will hang in Banana Block and an opening night during Late Night Art where participants can come and see the final piece.
Discover the joy of collage this April✨
Immerse yourself in our vibrant Collage Making Workshop, where we’ll delve into the technique, play with shapes, negative space and craft expressive abstract collages.
Join us for a series of exciting collaborative exercises designed to ignite your creativity and spark inspiration as we craft multiple stunning collages together.
Tickets £13, materials and a refreshing drink from the Banana Bar is included!
Join artist in residence Emma Brennan for a relaxed session of mark making with the body as our subject. Taking into account Brennan’s research into the body as a home, HOMØ: Drawing Me & Drawing You gives all participants a chance to draw and be drawn in a session of mark making responding to a range of bodies. Including but not limited to: the written body, the accompanied body, the body in motion, the q***r body, the invisible body or whatever type of body you want to bring to the page!
This session is open to all levels of experience, from beginners to professionals, untutored and calm so you can experiment but Emma is on hand to lead the logistics!
What you need to know:
- The class takes place Thursday, 3pm at the back of Banana Block, PortView Trade Centre, 310 Newtownards Rd, Belfast BT4 1HE
- This session is free and unticketed, we will begin at 3:00pm sharp and wrap up by 5pm, you are welcome to drop in for a bit or all of it and to sit out when you need.
- Materials to wear, attach and extend the human figure will be provided but also feel free to bring your own!
- Paper, pencils, charcoal and other basic drawing materials are provided, though we encourage you to bring your own!
April at Banana Block 🍌
From social dating to dance nights, mouthwatering dining, and creative experiences like Drink and Draw, there’s something for everyone. Don’t miss out on International Guide Dogs Day, East Block Bazaar and much more. Save the dates, find your tickets in our bio, and join the bunch for whatever tickles your fancy 💫
Get ready for an exciting April at Banana Block 🍌 From a new thrilling dance event to delectable dining experiences. Social dating to a vibrant and unique market. There’s something for everyone this month 💫
Don’t miss out- mark your calendars, check our bio for tickets, and join the bunch for whatever tickles your fancy 🙌
In addition to our new exhibit and artist residency programme, Banana Block welcomes the arrival of a new podcast and recording studio, The Spinners Mill.
Until the New Year, we’re pleased to be able to offer an introductory rate of 10 p/h to local podcasters and DJs.
To be an early adopter and get involved, follow the link in our bio to book a session today or contact our Studio Manager [email protected]
Follow our journey on Instagram
Community Radio station launching in early 2024.
Jam packed with festivities for December here at Banana Block 🥳
From a theatrical drink and draw and paper crafting to an AVA double bill, Portview Christmas Markets and a whole bunch more ✨
Have a browse, get your tickets and come join the bunch! 🥂
All event links in bio.
We are excited to announce we have recently welcomed our first ‘For Folk’s Sake’ artist in residence to the block.
Dean is an emerging architectural researcher, designer, and writer currently based in Belfast. They are a graduate of the Bartlett School of Architecture, former Research Associate at the Royal College of Art, and visiting lecturer at the Belfast School of Architecture. Their recent works include ‘Bent Over Straight Lines’ commissioned as part of the q***r-led project ‘Sam’s Eden’ curated by Thomas Wells ‘Telephone House’ as part of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society’s publication ‘Glamour and Gloom’ and ‘Essilage: On the etiquette of cutting grass’ that was published in the third edition of ‘Catflap’ curated and edited by Mícheál McCann as part of Outburst Q***r Arts Festival ***rarts
Keep an eye on our page for details of Late Night Art happenings and residency related workshops in December.
Banana Block is excited to present the newest addition to the bunch: The House 🏡
Created in partnership with National Museums NI through funding support from Tourism Northern Ireland, The House is a new community arts space that recreates buildings from nearby Cluan Place in the early twentieth Century, as they can currently be found in the Ulster Folk Museum.
We invite you to explore and reconnect with the heritage of East Belfast in this new exhibit through the stories of people living here a century before us.
Read more about the project via the link in our bio.
More exciting news to follow 👀
📷
Parents and Tots Group is back! 🥯
Every Wednesday and Thursday from 10AM -12PM enjoy a bagel and a tea for £2
-add schear to your bagel for £1 extra
-you can now also swap out your tea for a speciality coffee for just £2 💓
We’ve taken your feedback on board to make our space more family friendly since starting the group. You’ll now find foam mats, blankets and activities appropriate for tots such as puzzles and drawing materials freely available.
Chat to one of our team on site if anything needs topping up!
Thanks to for offering this deal! 🫶🏻
Our Grinchmas parties are selling fast 🥂
📍Friday 1st, 8th & 15th December | 7pm-12am
What’s included? A bunch!
For only £25 your tickets covers:
-your street food token, redeemable at any of our vendors on site
-a welcome cocktail courtesy of Titanic Distillers
-Live entertainment all night
-character actors from the Grinch
Over the standard Christmas party? Head to Banana Block for a night of mischief and revelry this December ✨
Ticket links in bio.
Santa Paws is coming to Banana Block! ❄️
📍Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th December | 12-5pm
Join at Banana Block to have your dog’s ‘paw-trait’ taken with Santa Claus himself, and even take home a printout to remember the occasion.
The Guide Dogs NI team will be on hand for you and your family to experience some sighted guiding, dog demos, sensory story time, music, fun and games.
Plus, experts and those living with sight loss will be there so you can find out more about what Guide Dogs NI do and their many volunteering opportunities.
Guide Dogs NI supports blind and partially sighted people to live the life they choose. Each of our dogs costs £55,000 from birth to retirement, so bring your four legged friend along to support and meet these furry life-changers this Christmas.
Suggested donation £10
EAST BLOCK FASHION is back on Wednesday 29th November with all things fashion; vintage, pre-loved, streetwear, local makers and designers, jewellery and cosmetics. And of course there will be great food, hot drinks, cakes and a bar – making it a fun evening out for everyone. Join us to grab some sustainable style and reinvigorate your Winter wardrobe. General Admission is Free. Be sure to keep an eye on social media for news. VIP tickets available at £10 soon. Brought to you by
Banana Block will be closed on Wednesday 15th November to allow us to make essential upgrades.
🚨heating is coming at long last🚨
We’ll reopen as normal on Thursday 16th November 10-6pm.
Apologies for the inconvenience we look forward to welcoming you back later in the week! 🙌🏻
MACS NI Sleep Out is just two weeks away!
We are delighted to announce is taking some time out from his brand new show BELFAST GIANT at the SSE Arena to perform at MACS Sleep Out.
Joining Ciaran is singer songwriter , hot off a European tour and ahead of concerts at the Dockers Club, Belfast in December.
This November, invites you to Banana Block to participate in our Sleep Out.
MACS is a member charity of , a UK-wide network of charities tackling youth homelessness in their local communities, working together to drive change on a national scale.
To take part in Sleep Out visit www.macsni.org or to donate: www.justgiving.com/campaign/MACSSleepOut2023
For more information click the link in our bio.
Drink and Draw is back at Banana Block with a double bill this November! 🎨
📍Thursday 16th November | 6-8PM
📍Tuesday 28th November | 6-8PM
Inspired by the enchanting world of theatre sets, we are set to construct a vibrant Christmas cityscape entirely crafted from cardboard. This whimsical city will feature a delightful array of buildings, vehicles, animals, people, and flora, all adorned in a spectrum of lively colours. As we bring these colourful facades to life, our city will come alive with imagination and creativity. We also plan to organize a miniature exhibition right within Banana Block, offering visitors the opportunity to admire and explore our captivating cardboard cityscape.
You can also enjoy mulled wine or drink of choice (beer, prosecco or wine) along the process and all the materials are included for just £12.
Follow on Instagram to join in at future meet-ups!
Ticket links in bio and available at www.bananablock.org
Tickets are now on sale for our Grinchmas Parties at Banana Block 🥂🪩
What to expect 👇🏻
At £25 a head, your ticket includes:
-street food vendors ( 1x token per person)
-welcome cocktail on arrival courtesy of
-live entertainment all night
Booking link in our bio or at www.bananablock.org ✨
Banana Block, Portview Trade Centre, 310 Newtownards Road
Belfast
BT41HP
| Wednesday | 9am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 6pm |
| Friday | 10am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 12pm - 6pm |
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The Whitewell Tartan Flute Band
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