Excalibur Press

Our closing event will make sense of the Festival and send us out encouraged and inspired to make Belfast a home for ourselves and everyone. We will reflect on the creativity and community of the ‘Peacemakers’ project. Friend of the Festival Rev. Neil Craigan, author and minister at White Bear Lake, Minnesota, will speak to tie up the Festival and we will end the Festival to the sound of Dana Masters’ song I’ll Be Your Home which should be the Festival’s theme song. Andrew Masters, Vineyard pastor in Lisburn, will then lead us out of the festival.

This is a closed event for participating youth groups. Following a successful pilot event in West Belfast at last year’s festival, youth groups from across Belfast will gather in the East of the city in February 2025. By undertaking environmental clean-up activities on Connswater Community Greenway (CCG), they will contribute to the conservation of our outdoor spaces. CCG is a 9km linear park stretching along the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers. It is a fabulous asset to the East, offering pedestrians and cyclists a safe route in and through green spaces where wildlife and vegetation thrive. Sadly, there is always litter to pick up, so the help of this young team will be much appreciated. Learning about the significance of this shared space, young people will work together to tidy the area through activities such as gardening, litter picking and graffiti removal, contributing to an improved experience for those using the Greenway. The event will conclude with food and friendship building. This is a closed event for participating youth groups.

In 1995 a young Bangor singer songwriter audaciously filled the Lyric Theatre. In the 30 years since, Iain Archer has won two Ivor Novello Awards for Run with Snow Patrol and Hold Back The River with James Bay, the latter being nominated for a Grammy. Tonight three decades on Iain returns to the Lyric for a rare homecoming solo show that will highlight the songwriting skills that have led Liam Gallagher, Noah Kahan, Jake Bugg, Shania Twain and a host of others to ask him to write with them. All seating will be unallocated and on a first come first served basis.

This year’s Wonderful Wander, delivered in association with the North Belfast Heritage Cluster, begins in Writer’s Square opposite St Anne’s Cathedral. From here we go on a comparatively short walk, but one which takes in the massive changes that this historically important part of our city has experienced over the years, ranging from different waves of migrants making Belfast their home, through to the recent influx of students in response to the latest of many physical developments in the area, in response to and producing demographic, cultural, political and religious changes. Along the way we will see the significant implications for some of the places of worship of all kinds in the area. And as ever this will be peppered with stories, poems and perhaps even songs, led by Jim Deeds and David Campton, but bring along your own stories to share as we wander along. We finish with refreshments at Girdwood Hub.

Our annual In Conversation event sees Steve Stockman talking to songwriter Anthony Toner and artist/playwright/director Andrea Montgomery. With this year’s theme of Home?, Anthony was an obvious choice. He has written songs about his own childhood home, growing up on Coleraine’s Harpur’s Hill estate and an entire album, Six Inches Of Water about East Belfast. His partner Andrea Montgomery is an experienced writer, script editor and producer. She has worked on four continents, from Ireland to China, Greenland to Iran. Born in Delhi but Canadian and now making a home in East Belfast she’ll have lot to say about home. There will be music and art to enjoy also.

Transport infrastructure has an important role to play in the development of Belfast as a shared city, with the potential to increase accessibility across the 4 ‘corners’ and enable the creation and maintenance of connections across the city and beyond. Join us for an early afternoon discussion exploring the role of public transport in improving community integration. Supported by LQBID, this event will share findings from their recent expert table discussion on this subject as well as giving you an opportunity to discuss your views and pose questions to our panel.

Enjoy our weeklong art exhibition in a late night opening this evening. More details about the exhibition are found under ‘Weeklong’ Events or on www.belfastcity.gov.uk/Events/Late-Night-Art-Belfast

How well is Northern Ireland progressing on the path to reconciliation? What obstacles do we face and what approaches should we be taking to build on the work that has been done and bring reconciliation home? Host Will Leitch will be joined by panellists Davy Adams, Nicola Brady, Monica McWilliams and Spike Murray to discuss questions around these topics. A specially adapted version of John Paul Lederach’s drama based on Psalm 85 will be performed by a group of local actors as a prelude to the panel discussion.

Come along to Methodist College’s Whitla Hall as primary school pupils from across Belfast (assisted by Play it by Ear Drama Company) get washed up on Paradise Island and find out what makes a home a home. Play it by Ear Drama is made up of Chris and Ross. They love to help young people and children use drama to unleash their creativity and build their confidence.