Belfast 2024

The incredible WIGGLE ROOM is NOW OPEN at The Mac as part of #Belfast2024. Inspired by the theme of 'movement', @boom_clap_play have created a 3D physics based simulation that bridges art and the expressive nature of play. Recently we caught up with up with co-creators David Baxter, Andrew McHugh and Johnathan Sung to hear about the story behind it. THE WIGGLE ROOM takes place at @themacbelfast from 19 September to 29 November. It is open daily Tuesday - Sunday from 11am - 5pm. Entry is FREE. #Belfast2024

Benign Land 🌌Red Sky at Night Benign Land by Leandros Ntolas 📍Location: Carlisle Memorial Church ⏰Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd November, 5pm – 10pm The festival of new art commissions by international artists from the Netherlands, Palestine, Greece, Poland, Thailand and here in Belfast, all curated by @Household. The Artist has created an evocative installation that incorporates his research into perception, architecture and light, expanding his current research into creating interactive experiences using the medium of video games. As the nights grow longer, and the spirit world draws near, we are embracing the darkness and hosting a weekend of evening exhibitions and events across Belfast in some of the city’s most historic locations. Make sure you get down to check it out this weekend! For more information and ticket links, please visit: https://www.householdbelfast.co.uk/artists-in-neighbourhoods-all/red-sky-at-night

🌌Red Sky at Night Common Point Exercises by Irmina Rusicka and Kasper Lecnim 📍Location: 2 Royal Avenue ⏰Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd November, 10am – 6pm The festival of new art commissions by international artists from the Netherlands, Palestine, Greece, Poland, Thailand and here in Belfast, all curated by @Household. The Artists take a playful and rebellious approach to their art practice, using humour as a mechanism for connecting with audiences. In Belfast, they recognised the prevailing sense of humour and wanted to focus on how and where people ‘play in the city. They have created a fantasy children’s playground, tracing the shape of the interface area between the Shankill Road and the Falls Road as depicted on a scale map. Accompanying the sculpture are rolls of drawings made by primary school classes from this interface area, who have been invited to imagine play spaces and structures for their neighbourhoods. As the nights grow longer, and the spirit world draws near, we are embracing the darkness and hosting a weekend of evening exhibitions and events across Belfast in some of the city’s most historic locations. Make sure you get down to check it out this weekend! For more information and ticket links, please visit: https://www.householdbelfast.co.uk/artists-in-neighbourhoods-all/red-sky-at-night

🌌Red Sky at Night Possession by Kanich Khajohnsri 📍Location: The Palm House ⏰Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd November, 5pm – 10pm The festival of new art commissions by international artists from the Netherlands, Palestine, Greece, Poland, Thailand and here in Belfast, all curated by @householdbelfast The Artist has created a new installation including sound, photography and sculpture, exploring customs and rituals in both Thailand and Northern Ireland around the history of land ownership, in an attempt to reconnect with ancient ideas of spirituality. As the nights grow longer, and the spirit world draws near, we are embracing the darkness and hosting a weekend of evening exhibitions and events across Belfast in some of the city’s most historic locations. Make sure you get down to check it out this weekend! For more information and ticket links, please visit: https://www.householdbelfast.co.uk/artists-in-neighbourhoods-all/red-sky-at-night

We caught up with artist @aislingobeirn who has been exploring how we see our night sky in Belfast – working with astronomers, writers, environmentalists and residents on ways to reduce light pollution. You can see Aisling’s exhibition Suggestions for Stargazing as part of this weekend’s new night-time festival, Red Sky at Night, created by art organisation @householdbelfast as part of Belfast 2024. This free festival will show our city in a different light, as you can enjoy new artworks at six unique locations across the city. In the Waterworks Park, you can follow a trail of a glow-in-the-dark signs with poetry, prompts and illustrations offer insights to the environment around you. From Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd Nov, the Waterworks Park will operate on extended opening hours, closing at 7pm. The exhibition can also be enjoyed during normal opening hours until 30th November. Check out the full details for Red Sky at Night on our website. #Belfast2024 #OurPeople #OurPlace #OurPlanet

Ahead of this weekend's world premiere of Touch, Hear, Feel - we caught up with choreographer and visual artist Helen Hall to find out about the inspirations behind her work and what audiences can expect from this ground-breaking performance. Touch, Hear, Feel is an immersive dance performance that reconsiders the way we experience art, beyond the visual, by contemplating how we can engage our other senses. The dance piece choreographed by Helen and performed by herself and two other dancers, explores the theme of touch and the felt sense. Touch, Hear, Feel was developed in a series of co-designed workshops with the blind and partially sighted community, in collaboration with the @rnib, @open_arts_ni and @universityofatypical. Their diverse perspectives and lived experiences form the heart of the project. After the performances in November, the set will be re-imagined as a multi-sensory installation. An accompanying audio narrative, featuring the voices of blind and partially sighted people, will provide insights into their experiences of touch. Commissioned by @belfast2024 and produced by @belfast_int_arts_fest.

🎙 Journey from 1845 to Belfast 2024 in Surround Sound! 🎙 North Star is a live music spectacular, inspired by writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass' historic visit to Belfast in 1845. Douglass, considered a fugitive slave at the time, delivered a landmark speech, declaring, “wherever else I feel myself to be a stranger, I will remember I have a home in Belfast.” This live performance sees an incredible array of artists all share the one stage, including Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist and DJ @kaiditatham, rising stars @leomiyagee and @winnie_ama_, @arco_stringquartet, poet @nandijola, Ivor Novello winning composer @hannahpeelmusic, actor @colinrsalmon, and pupils from four Belfast schools! Together, they will perform North Star, a collaborative blend of music and poetry, rooted in Black Cultures, and inspired by Douglass's story, philosophy, and his deep connection with Belfast. This groundbreaking show, commissioned especially for Belfast 2024, also features @josephleighton,@benflavelle_cobain, Steve Davis, @rickswannofficial,@thomasannangdrumminganddance, and @pvnbelfast Gospel Choir led by @angelaifonlaja with arrangements by@jenniferjohnmusic. Produced by @solab_northstar24 Dates; Thurs 25 and Fri 25 October Location: The Telegraph Building, Belfast Tickets: On sale now (Link in bio) Age: 18+ BSL signed performanced on Thurs 24 October Supported by @belfast2024, @heritagefunduk and @ulsteruni - Part of @belfast_int_arts_fest

Our new City Hall Augmented Reality (AR) experience is NOW OPEN! Part of #Belfast2024, we've collaborated with BT Business to offer visitors interactive, magical ways to explore Belfast's stories. FREE admission. https://ow.ly/r9UN50TzKFR

Reimagine our city with the brand new Augmented Reality (AR) experience at City Hall! Presented as part of Belfast 2024, Belfast City Council in collaboration with BT Business have created a magical Augmented Reality experience for everyone to enjoy. Using the latest digital technology, visitors will be welcomed by an animated seahorse from the Belfast Coat of Arms, watch as the the city’s hidden river is revealed, walls crumble to uncover secret passageways, and books open to let their stories take flight. Explore Belfast’s past, present and future through 3D maps, 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. Play 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 and create your own ‘Instagrammable’ works of postcard art with Belfast’s landmarks, ready to share on social media. The Belfast City Hall AR experience will run until the end of March 2025. The exhibition is free to visit, but you need to book a ticket. To find out more, visit www.belfast2024.co.uk #Belfast2024 #EmbracingOurCreativity

Don’t miss the magic of @shadowdockbelfast ✨ Two more nights to go- book your tickets now! Start your evening along the Maritime Mile and enjoy atmospheric lighting and music as you make your way to Thompson Dry Dock. Here you will enter a world filled with light, colour and sound. From Above Deck you can look upon the grand dock where Titanic once stood. Enjoy the view of the spectacle below as the dock comes alive with washes of colour and light, alongside the enchanting soundtrack and story played throughout the magnificent dock. Above Deck tickets are £5 with free entry for children under 5 and free carer tickets available. Book your tickets for the remaining shows: https://tr.ee/K1_vrgz2is - Shadowdock, created by Henry Sykes and Three’s Theatre Company @threestheatrecompany1 Lighting design by Conal Clapper and Alan Mooney @conalclapper Music written and produced by Katie Richardson @kt_rich_music (Music credit Katie Richardson) - Shadowdock is commissioned by Belfast 2024 and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Lightbody Foundation. With special thanks to venue partners Titanic Distillers and Catalyst. Maritime Mile animation is sponsored by Maritime Belfast Trust.

It’s almost time for Shadowdock! Above Deck tickets available- Book now! Start your evening along the Maritime Mile and enjoy atmospheric lighting and music as you make your way to Thompson Dry Dock. Here you will enter a world filled with light, colour and sound. From Above Deck you can look upon the grand dock where Titanic once stood. Enjoy the view of the spectacle below as the Dock comes alive with washes of colour and light, alongside the enchanting soundtrack and story played throughout the magnificent dock. Above Deck tickets are £5 with free entry for children under 5 and free carer tickets available. Above Deck tickets holders will also receive an email invitation to book a space if they would like to explore the dock post-show. The ‘In the Dock After Dark’ experience is £3 and is an additional ticket for Above Deck Ticket holders and conditions apply – age 16+ only, accessed by 66 steep steps, and all ticket holders must attend a safety briefing before entry to the dock. To book your tickets and for more info visit: www.shadowdock.co.uk Shadowdock is commissioned by Belfast 2024 and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Lightbody Foundation. With special thanks to venue partners Titanic Distillers and Catalyst. Maritime Mile animation is sponsored by Maritime Belfast Trust.

Ahead of this Saturday's Sound Links Block Party, we caught a sneak peak of some of the original work composed by the Ulster Orchestra that was inspired by the surrounding area of Townsend Street. Composer Una Monaghan spoke about her piece and how working with local residents from the area helped to inform and inspire her music. This community street party is part of a project by the Ulster Orchestra, @zeppoarts and @townsendenterprisepark / @madeintownsendstreet for Belfast 2024 that explores and celebrates the rich history of an overlooked area that has deep connections to the history of Belfast and a strong potential for an exciting future. We’ll have a day full of music from @winnie_ama_, @stringninjas, @utropiks, @boom_strutt, @diamontes_dance, @belfastukejam, @downshirebrass, @bang_bike_belfast and the Ulster Orchestra, hosted by BBC Radio presenter and musician@gemmabradleymusic. Follow @ulsterorchestra for up to date information!