In Pictures: Colour and craic on Culture Night

Skip image gallery

Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
The heat was really turned up a notch on Friday evening with fire jugglers and other street performers entertaining crowds
Image caption,
Aerial artist Ash Ashton was suspended from a rope on the side of The Black Box in Cathedral Quarter in Belfast
Image source, DCSDC
Image caption,
Crowds gathered at a night market in Londonderry's Ebrington Square
Image caption,
Matt, a civil servant living in Belfast, said he would like to see Culture Night held in the city more often
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
Artist Chris McGuiggan adds colour to the city's walls
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
The event was suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and briefly returned in 2021 on a smaller scale
Image source, DCSDC
Image caption,
Derry celebrated its 20th anniversary of hosting Culture Night with various musical performances
Image caption,
Michael Fenton, who lives in Belfast, said he is glad to see the event return
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
Belfast's Cathedral Quarter was full of people taking in the sights and sounds of a host of events and attractions
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
Many visual art displays, including this neon dog light show, were on display this year
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
There was also plenty of musical offerings this year, from brass bands to singers
Image caption,
Dayna and Tibo, visitors from Canada, arrived in Belfast on Friday afternoon and said the event was "awesome" and it was "really exciting to see lots of diversity"
Image caption,
Lily Rose (left), a recent graduate, and Emily Jane, a student at Ulster University, said it was great to see so many cultures represented
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
Some musical acts took to balconies to deliver their performances to the many people meandering through the streets of Belfast
Image caption,
Tom and Roisin Martin said it is "great" to see the return of Culture Night in Belfast and "nice to see the good weather"
Image source, Pacemaker
Image caption,
Street artists were busy showing off their skills with vibrant colours at various live art performances
Image caption,
Pete, who lives in Belfast and works in marketing, said the atmosphere in the city was nicer than usual
Image source, DCSDC
Image caption,
Young choristers entertained crowds at St Columb's Cathedral in Derry
Image source, DCSDC
Image caption,
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane Ruairí McHugh attended the Rathmullan Makers Market

Adam Mandeville

BBC News NI

19 September 2025

Updated 20 September 2025

Thousands of people attended various events throughout Northern Ireland on Friday evening as part of Culture Night.

Culture Night's return to Belfast follows a four-year hiatus, while in Londonderry the city is marking the 20th anniversary of the event with what organisers billed as one of the biggest cultural programmes to date.

A number of events also took place in places like Newry, Strabane and Enniskillen.

In Belfast, revellers could enjoy wrestling at Grand Central Station, while in Derry, crowds experienced a night market at Ebrington Square, which was transformed into a street-party-style festival with artisan food stalls, craft drinks, and live music.

Related topics

More on this story

From wrestling to grooving - welcome to Culture Night
Published
6 days ago
Council agrees to explore Culture Night 2025 return
Published
25 May 2024