Belfast Christmas lights switch-on event tickets 'sold faster than Oasis'

Elected members at a Belfast City Council committee meeting heard the surprising declaration from a council officer during an update on major events planned for the city.

At the monthly meeting of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee at City Hall, the council officer told the chamber: “Plans are well underway for the events for the switch-on next Saturday (November 16).

“Tickets went on sale this week. The first allocation, which is 75 percent of the ticket allocation, went within 30 minutes.

"And the 25 percent that we held back for a later release time in the day went within 17 minutes. So you will be very happy to know they sold out faster than Oasis.

“So that is the full capacity of the 10,000 across the event. And then obviously there are a number of those allocations for the special access platform as well.”

Belfast’s Christmas celebrations will officially begin on Saturday ( November 16) with the switch-on event which will take place from around 6:30pm to 7:30pm. The stage programme will consist of walkabout performers entertaining the audience at each three entrances, Donegall Place, and Donegall Square East and West.

The council report states the proposed stage programme will have “a variety of short acts celebrating the best of Belfast performers both professional companies and community organisations, all supported by council.”

The stage show will be compered by a “media partner” with a young musician opening the event playing bagpipes. It will also have a live local band, Christmas musical and theatre performances, a “Rock Choir” singing carols and “uplifting” rock songs, and a primary school choir.

The 2 Royal Avenue Christmas programme will include a Winter’s Den beginning on Saturday November 16 and running throughout the Christmas period. It will also include a variety of “sustainable” festive workshops, Christmas carolling and musical sing a longs

There will be Jazz afternoons for seniors, family theatre and performances, and celebrations from around the world including art, storytelling and dance. The space will also have baby sensory sessions, with autism and disability friendly events such as sensory workshops, activities and storytelling.

Additionally, on Saturday November 16, 2 Royal Avenue will offer a dedicated sensory area, sensory decoration making workshop, a relaxed silent disco and walk about characters. An “alternative tree lighting” ceremony will also take place in the venue for those unable to manage the crowds at City Hall.

Over the festive period there will be a Santa’s Post Office, Christmas tea dances, choir performances, a festive ceilidh, traditional performances and markets including the Potters market and Twilight markets.

The Christmas Market will run this year from Saturday November 16 to Sunday December 22. Market Place Europe Limited, who currently holds the Continental Markets contract, this year will be celebrating 20 years of the Belfast Christmas Market and plans Dickensian themed weekends.

There will be over 100 stalls and the new contract also sets out the requirement for 40 percent local traders and 60 percent continental traders. There will be a Santa’s Grotto supporting the Lord Mayors Charity and a return of free school educational tours.

Belfast will not see Christmas lighting on main arterial routes going into the city centre due to lack of funds, officials have told councillors at City Hall.

Councillors had been hoping this year to extend the Christmas lighting programme beyond the city centre into communities by lighting up some of the main roads going into the city core.

An officer report for the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee stated that a lack of extra funds from Stormont meant that a wider extension of the programme was not possible.

Last year Belfast local elected representatives were looking at a 50 percent cut in the Christmas lights programme, before the council made a u-turn and agreed to find the money from underspends and “specified reserves.”