Belfast City Council has approved a €6.8m investment to host Belfast 2024 the largest creative and cultural celebration in the city’s history from March to November 2024.
It offers 24 large-scale commissions and over 200 events on the theme of “People, Place, and Planet” will be central to the program, with collaborations with organisations such as the Eden Project and artist Oliver Jeffers to explore sustainability, nature, and urban spaces.
Highlights include events focusing on the River Lagan, a guerrilla gardening project, and a celebration of African culture.
The programme aims to provide financial support to the cultural sector, create employment opportunities, boost the local economy, and establish Belfast as a global cultural destination.
Belfast 2024 will also encourage community engagement through creative projects and offer grants for local initiatives. Further details will be announced in the coming months.
Previously commissioned projects include:
- an outdoor laser game inspired by local biodiversity and co-created with young coders aged 8-12
- an immersive digital ‘playroom’ for children
- ambition for 10,000 hand-made boats of shall shapes and sizes – big, small and everything in between
- Safari in the City biodiversity citizen science project led by young people living in Shankill, Lower Newtownards Road, Short Strand and Sailortown
Projects in development include:
- a creative mental health project for young men from Orangefield community in east Belfast
- a heritage music programme focusing on traditional music across all communities in the city
- expansion of the Gig Buddies programme to increase access to the arts for those with disabilities and learning difficulties
- art workshops focused on creative expression in the LBGTQIA+ community
- ‘community takeovers’ where residents will be facilitated to use local parks, recycling centres and other civic venues to express their creativity and sense of community
- a carers’ choir
- photo walks for younger people
- creative skills workshops with young mums
- Men’s Shed activities
- co-design workshops with minority ethnic communities
