‘Disappointment’ as Belfast not holding the event

As towns and cities across the island of Ireland gear up for Culture Night events, Belfast is a notable exception.

Held on the third weekend in September, it was once a big night in the city with thousands flocking to the event but has not returned to the calendar following the Covid-19 pandemic.

This has led to one pub owner creating his own event.

“I just want people to enjoy themselves and get home safely,” Willie Jack told BBC News NI.

Mr Jack pointed to other places across the island who will be having events, “big cities like Dublin, it’s all over the papers. It’s in the news. People look forward to it,” he said.

On Friday he hosted his own culture night that included a New Orleans Funeral Band carrying a coffin that says “RIP Culture” and “Belfast Culture Night 2024” with blood dripping from it.

He said the event is a “considerable amount of money, it’s probably about £12,000. We want to feed every everybody that plays, we’re go help them, give them refreshments.”

He added that it’s a “missed opportunity” to not have a Belfast culture night.

Mr Jack said the Cathedral Quarter is experiencing “a bit of a turbulent time”.

“There seems to be a lot more people with addictions and that doesn’t promote the best image for Belfast, that frightens people.

“I personally think we’re the safest place in Europe in our little province here and that’s why it disappoints me, this should be led by council.”

Mr Jack said he just wants people to “enjoy themselves and go home and get home safely.”

He added that he hopes hosting his own culture night in the Cathedral Quarter will benefit other businesses in the area.

Culture night had, since 2012, been run by the Cathedral Quarter Trust to promote locals arts, businesses and heritage in the city centre.

Last year, the trust said it would not be involved in any future culture night events following the withdrawal of departmental funding.

Belfast City Council is to explore the possibility of bringing culture night back to the city in 2025.

In May this year, councillors were told it, or an alternative event, would also not take place this year but a return in 2025 is a possibility.

In April, Belfast’s deputy mayor, Áine Groogan, said it was “embarrassing” that culture night will not return this year.

She had proposed a scaled down alternative to take place on 20 September, when culture night is held elsewhere but after a report was given in May, council officials said that was not an option.

Officials added that a wide range of cultural events are already taking place as part of Belfast 2024, which runs until November.

But officials have recommended allocating“up to £30,000 to the facilitation of an engagement programme with the wider cultural sector, key funders, partners and other interested parties in relation to culture night from September 2025 and onwards”.

While Belfast will not be having a culture night, many places across the island, including Londonderry, will be.

Zoe McSparron is co-director at FUSE arts in Derry, which works on creating non-traditional spaces for art including performances, exhibitions and events.

Speaking about the importance of culture nights she said: “I would say they’re really important, but I think it’s equally as important for them to be funded.

“One of the issues in Derry at the moment is that culture night was not allocated funding this year. So that meant that if organisations are to put forward an event to happen on culture night they had to find other funding,” she said.

“For us, we were very lucky to be able to find funding for our event through Derry City and Strabane District Council Good Relations Week Funding.”