Belfast 2024: A Year-Long Festival of Culture and Creativity
In 2024, Belfast will host a year-long festival aimed at celebrating and invigorating the city's cultural landscape. The initiative, which began as a proposal from Belfast City Council's culture and tourism unit, seeks to foster community connections and creative expression.
The festival coincides with a time of social unrest and political challenges for the city, including recent mass public sector strikes and a period without a functioning government. Adding to the city's complexities, renowned publican Pedro Donald announced his departure to Amsterdam at the beginning of the year, citing Belfast's stagnation since he started his career in 1984.
Central to the festival is its diverse lineup of events. Little Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing a Syrian refugee girl, will be featured from May 16, orchestrated by ArtsEkta with direction from Jennifer Rooney and a story by Des Kennedy. Amal’s journey begins at the River Farset and includes a visit to the historic Half Bap district.
Frederick Douglass, an American abolitionist who visited Belfast in the mid-1840s, will be honored in the North Star event on October 25. Spearheaded by SoLab and featuring artists like Nandi Jola and Winnie Ama, the celebration highlights Douglass’s contributions and the city’s Black cultural heritage.
Another significant aspect is Sound Links, a collaboration between Zeppo Arts, Townsend Street Enterprise, and the Ulster Orchestra, set to culminate on International Peace Day on September 21. This project aims at bridging divides in a city still grappling with the legacy of its "peace walls."
New community-building initiatives such as Roots will see local artists and gardeners engaging in collaborative activities at the Black Mountain Shared Space. In addition, The Hearth by the Belfast Film Festival invites residents to submit video clips capturing their daily lives, under the guidance of Mark Cousins.
The festival’s launch took place at 2RA on Royal Avenue in early March, marking the beginning of what organizers hope will be a transformative year for Belfast.
Glenn Patterson, director of the Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast, and the article’s author, emphasizes the local-centric ethos of the festival while inviting global audiences to partake in the city’s cultural renaissance.