Last Friday, we attended our first ever Culture Night in Belfast.
For my readers in Europe and the UK, a Culture Night may not sound like a big deal, given the frequency and the history of such events. On the other hand, for Northern Ireland, a relatively small country which has been through so much politically, this is a HUGE thing and such a positive step forward and hopefully, away from its tormented past and towards a future full of hope and unity!
There was an impressive number of events(over 200!) taking place in Belfast last Friday; over 50,000 people took to the streets to celebrate the country’s rich past and present culture and enjoy the “mighty craic”, all in the well-known by now jovial Irish way, accompanied by family, friends and of course, beer!
The weather decided to play nice too and we enjoyed a lovely, mild autumn evening out as a family crafting in the Cathedral’s quarters with Emma, strolling through the very crowded streets, observing passionately quiet games of chess and enjoying divine tunes inside Saint Anne’s cathedral:
We also crafted messages of hope for the future, to go into a virtual bottle, which will be opened in a decade from now.
I do hope all those dreams and hopes come true and in 10 years from now, Belfast will be even more vibrant and blossoming with culture and art and beauty.
My regrets?
That I didn’t get to see and try it all: the gorgeous octopi display, a meal out in the MAC quarters and being part of the parade at the end are on the menu for next year!
My overall impression?
That it was amazing display of creativity, joy and talent and that I am very happy to see Belfast coming into its own when it comes to culture.
Even the city hall celebrated and dressed up for the occasion, such an improvement from the last year’s negative publicity related to the flag issues:
I am already looking forward to next year’s edition, as I have this feeling that things can only get better when it come to cultural events in Belfast!
Mama's Haven 
Sounds like a fun event.
Love the virtual bottle idea
Sounds like an amazing event. I would love to visit N Ireland. I have an Uncle that lives there
The city looks fabulous! What a great event for everyone to come together.
I love the sound of this, I have always wanted to go to Belfast, it looks amazing. Glad you had a great time x
What a great event, I would love to visit Belfast
It looks like it was an amazing event – I especially love the messages of hope x
What a terrific event – lovely to be a part of. We are hoping to visit Belfast within the next year or so…I haven’t gone there for 20 years!
The event looks brilliant – a great way to come together and create positive memories in the community.
What a fantastic event. Just the sort of thing i would love to do. I love the message in the bottle idea!
Your pictures are great x
This sounds like a wonderful event, and I’m sure that it will go from strength to strength each year.
I love the idea of the messages of hope, Belfast has been through some tough times, it’s good to see it blossoming through.
Wow! I love all the bright colours and City Hall looks awesome! So great to have events like this on your doorstep.
This looks like an amazing event. I went to a catholic school and all my teachers were from Belfast and NI and they spoke about it with such passion – I would love to visit
What a wonderful idea for an evening! My middle boy is obsessed by cephlapods at the moment so he would have loved that!
What a lovely positive event, I saw the picture of you playing chess on instagram, and I love the bottle idea! Belfast is on my list of places to go, has been for a while!
This looks like a great event and I love that top photo with all the flags across the street – lovely!
Wow, I never knew Belfast had so much to offer in the way of culture. It sounds like a fantastic event. Yet another city to add to my list of ‘must-visit’ places!
This looks like an immensely fun event and with so much on offer it sounds like there is something for everyone to love