Cathedral quarter bid set for summer festival season

Festivals such as Belfast Children’s Festival (Young at Art), Festival of Fools, CQ Arts Festival, Belfast Blues Festival, Belfast TradFest, Belfast International Arts Festival, The Winter Circus (Tumble Circus) to name but a few, helped to attract around 181,000 visitors to the Cathedral Quarter and wider city centre locations last year. Support provided includes financial contributions, marketing assistance, and logistical backing.

As part of future plans, CQ BID aims to support at least one festival or event each month of the year, with talks already taking place to explore the potential of an annual Cathedral Quarter Comedy Festival. Alongside continued partnership work with bodies such as Belfast City Council on initiatives showcasing Belfast City UNESCO City of Music including the recently announced All Ireland Fleadh, potentially welcoming 700,000 visitors per year in 2026 and 2027 to the city. Over the past few years CQ BID has been advocating for the return of Culture Night, which returns to the city this September. With Cathedral Quarter being the spiritual home of Culture Night, since its inception, CQ BID has allocated funds to encourage CQ based arts organisations to produce something special for the event.

Located in one of the city’s most historic and architecturally rich areas, Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter is widely recognised as the leading destination for culture, hospitality, tourism, enterprise and learning. Offering a dynamic and authentic experience of Belfast for residents and visitors. A hub for creativity, entertainment, and social connection, now welcoming 17000 students and staff from the University of Ulster.

Established in 2016, CQ BID delivers specific improvements such as cleanliness, safety, promotion and business support. Providing additional cleansing and safety initiatives alongside those provided by Belfast City Council and PSNI, they also offer businesses in the location with training courses throughout the year and streetscape improvements to enhance the sustainability of the area.

Tzvetelina Bogoina, Chair of CQ BID said: “The Cathedral Quarter has long been a cultural heartbeat of Belfast, and our continued investment in festivals is about breathing life into the streets and showcase all that makes this part of the city special. There is no doubting the impact and benefits provided by our investment in festivals. The additional footfall drives business and enhances the reputation of the location, and the arts organisations gain huge benefits from the support of the civic and business community.”

CQ BID Manager, Damien Corr added: “As the artistic & cultural heart of the city, it is crucial that we continue to build on our reputation. In these straightened times art and culture have never been so important and not just for art’s sake! The 2024 festival visitor figures were phenomenal and the potential spending power significant! We hope to build on these figures as we continue our support throughout 2025 and beyond. We encourage our colleagues in the Statutory and Business sectors to take a closer look at the wider value of Art and Culture to this City.”

For more information on CQ BID, upcoming festivals and how you can get involved, visit www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com or follow CQ BID on Facebook and Instagram #CathedralQuarterBID.