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 Corporation The Laganside Corporation was a non-departmental public body formed by the Laganside Development (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 with the goal of regenerating large sections of land in Belfast, Northern Ireland adjacent to the River Lagan. This ...

. The development is named after the architect Charles Lanyon.

Construction

Planning for the building began 1989, with the hall being completed in 1997 for the sum of £32 million. Practice partner Peter McGuckin was the project architect. The main circular Auditorium seats 2,241 and is based on the Berlin Philharmonic Hall designed by Hans Scharoun. However the flexible design of the Auditorium allows the stalls seating to be moved to create a larger arena. The smaller adjoining Studio seats 380. The dome of the building is coated in copper. This is so the exterior will eventually turn green and reflect the dome of Belfast City Hall and other Victorian buildings in the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. The building also contains bars and a restaurant.

Notable events

Barack and Michelle Obama at the Belfast Waterfront Convention Centre

Many plays take place every year, in the 350 seated capacity studio, including operas, pantomimes, and musicals. The hall is a key venue for the Belfast Festival at Queen's and for concerts given by the Ulster Orchestra. During their 2002 tour, in promotion of their album '' Right Now'', famous pop trio Atomic Kitten recorded their '' Right Here, Right Now'' DVD at the auditorium.

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitars ...

performed there on 19, 20 and 21 January 2005 as part of their series of reunion concerts. In 2011 the Waterfront hosted the Sinn Féin Ardfheis, the first time for it to be held in Belfast. On March 15, 2013 American country music singer

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

played a concert as part of her

Blown Away Tour The Blown Away Tour was the third headlining tour by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, in support of her fourth studio album '' Blown Away''. This was Underwood's first worldwide tour, with the singer performing in both Europe and A ...

. On January 18, 2014 '' Britain's Got Talent'' auditions were in here. The auditions were for the

Series 8 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

of the show. The auditions were shown on April 14, 2014. The annual Christmas show, 'The Music Box', starring Peter Corry was hosted by the Waterfront Hall in December 2013. Westlife lead vocalist Shane Filan played at the hall as a solo artist in 2017. The 2018 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards are due to take place at the Hall on 4 April. It will be the first time the awards have taken place in Belfast. The annual

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

tournament, The Northern Ireland Open has been held at the venue since its second year in 2017.

References

External links

Official websiteBelfast City Council -About Waterfront HallRobinson McIlwaine architects
Buildings and structures in Belfast Concert halls in Northern Ireland Exhibition and conference centres in Northern Ireland Music venues in Belfast Tourist attractions in Belfast Buildings and structures completed in 1997 {{NorthernIreland-struct-stub

Construction

Notable events

See also

References

External links