Belfast International Arts Festival, formerly known as Belfast Festival at Queen’s, claims to be the city’s longest running international arts event. Originally established in 1962, it was hosted by Queen’s University until 2015, after which a new independent organisation (a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity) was formed. The event covers theatre, dance, classical and roots music, visual, film and digital arts and literature accompanied by outreach and education events. It takes place every October in venues and locations across Belfast.

History

Held annually, usually in October/November, the festival was founded by student Michael Emmerson in 1962. From small beginnings the festival grew through the 1960s and 1970s, expanding to a two-week-long event. Performers during this time included

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

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and

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

. The festival is held at several venues across the city, including The MAC, Ulster Hall, the Naughton Gallery, the

Queen's Film Theatre The Queen's Film Theatre or QFT is an independent cinema at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland founded in 1968. When first opened, the Queen’s Film Theatre focused mainly on art house, indie and world cinema, playing an important ro ...

, the

Brian Friel Theatre The Brian Friel Theatre is a studio theatre located at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was opened in February 2009 and is named after the Irish dramatist, theatre director and author, Brian Friel. The Theatre is part of the Uni ...

and the Whitla Hall at Queen's, as well as the Grand Opera House, the

Waterfront Hall Belfast Waterfront is a multi-purpose conference and entertainment centre, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. The hall is located in Lanyon Place, the flagship development of the Laganside Corpo ...

and An Chultúrlann arts centre.

Funding crisis

In January 2007, sufficient funding was not in place to ensure that the 2007 festival would go ahead, and the university launched a 'Save Belfast Festival' campaign, encouraging people to petition

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MP, then minister responsible for cultural activities in Northern Ireland. The campaign received support from the

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...

and celebrities including

Patrick Kielty Patrick Kielty (born 31 January 1971) is a Northern Irish comedian and television personality. Background Kielty was born in County Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the village of Dundrum. He is one of three sons born to the businessm ...

. On 16 February 2007 the Minister announced a £150,000 one-off payment to the Belfast Festival at Queen's, although the campaign to raise more funds continued throughout the year. The university subsequently announced that the 2007 festival would go ahead, albeit on a reduced scale, but that work is still required to secure its long-term future.

Sponsorship

> This funding came to an end in 2016 when the Ulster Bank announced its withdrawal from the funding of the much-diminished festival.

References

External links

Official WebsiteSave Belfast Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belfast Festival At Queen's Arts festivals in Northern Ireland Music festivals in Northern Ireland Queen's University Belfast Theatre in Northern Ireland Festivals in Belfast 1962 establishments in Northern Ireland Music festivals established in 1962 Annual events in Northern Ireland Autumn events in Northern Ireland

History

Funding crisis

Sponsorship

See also

References

External links