Culture Night: Will it ever make a Belfast comeback?

Belfast's Cathedral Quarter to be noticeably quieter this weekend than in 2019

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

Since 2009, tens of thousands of people packed into the city's Cathedral Quarter for the free cultural event.

The last full Belfast Culture Night, in 2019, attracted about 100,000 people.

It was scaled back in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, then paused in 2022 for a "complete rethink" before the Department for Communities (DfC) withdrew funding earlier this year.

Held on the third weekend in September, a full programme of Culture Night events is due to go ahead in Londonderry and Belleek, County Fermanagh, on Friday night.

But the streets of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter will be noticeably quieter this weekend than in 2019.

'The city was buzzing'

One former attendee of the Cathedral Quarter event told BBC News NI that Culture Night was one of her favourite nights of the year.

"The whole city was buzzing, its such a pity that cuts have just let it not exist," she said.

"It's actually exactly what Belfast could do with."

Another said the event was an "amazing asset for the city".

"It drew people in, it brought people who weren't even into the arts into the city to go to gallery spaces," he said.

"But that's what happens when you don't have an acting government."

Dance, drama and music performances all formed part of Culture Night events

Former organiser Adam Turkington described Culture Night as an "amazing thing to be involved with".

"It had a massive impact on people's lives," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"People met their partners there and I've spoke to a number of people who went to Culture Night then decided to move to Belfast."

But Mr Turkington refuted any suggestion budgetary constraints were behind the event's cancellation.

"It happened to be run by an organisation that doesn't exist anymore," he said.

"I believe the funding would be there if a coalition of people got together and set up a separate organisation - that's how Culture Night started in the first place.

"We never had much problem fundraising because people could see the value in it," he added.

'Really disappointing'

In a statement released in April, the Cathedral Quarter Trust said it would not be involved in any future Culture Night event following the withdrawal of departmental funding.

It said it would continue to work with Belfast City Council to "explore all options around the future of this popular and important event".

Belfast's Deputy Lord Mayor Áine Groogan said Culture Night's cancellation was "really disappointing".

"We need to fund our incredible arts and culture scene in Belfast - it's the beating heart of the city in spite of government action," she told BBC News NI.

"We only spend just over £5 a head on arts and culture in Northern Ireland - Wales spend nearly double that.

"That being said, we might not have Culture Night but there is so much else happening in the city."

The Department for Communities have been approached for comment.