Stormont clueless about Belfast's £1billion pubs, clubs and concerts nightlife economy - says official: After dark, we're in the dark

Those are the words of a Department of Economy official, who says that civil servants don’t know what the pubs, clubs and concerts in Belfast need to thrive, even though the city’s night-time businesses generate around £1bn every year.

Thomas McGarvey made the comments at a music industry panel discussion this week, adding that a massive project to research and review the issue is about to begin – including what could be done about a lack of proper late-night public transport, which he believes hits venues in the wallet as well as being an inconvenience to the public.

The panel also heard from a leading local promoter who said a collapse in suitable locations in the city centre drove him to hunt down alternative venues, including moving techno and dance nights into East Belfast social clubs.

And the director of the city’s biggest regular rave-up, Shine, admitted that a few years ago it had gone stale from a lack of competition, and was only cured when its old home was demolished and the event was forced to shift into a new “improvised venue”, the Telegraph Building.

While massive events such as Belsonic or Custom House Square are reliable money-makers, the panel heard, the cost and complexity of licensing means smaller venues and new promoters struggle to get started.

That in turn means that everyone from aspiring DJs to the city’s promising rock bands find it difficult to get anywhere to play.

With panellists stating that help is needed from government bodies that set down the licensing laws, Mr McGarvey admitted that the Department for the Economy knows so little about the industry right now that any changes would be a stab in the dark.

Stating that an upcoming joint research project involving the Department, Tourism NI and three Belfast Business Improvement Districts should give them a proper grasp on differing aspects of Belfast’s nightlife, he said: “We don’t have a lot of information.”

That review will include the absence of late-night transport in the city, which he theorised has a knock-on effect, damaging bar profits and stifling innovation.

People who can’t be sure of getting home safely are less likely to stay out late, he stated, which means venues’ takings are down and they won’t experiment, relying instead on crowd-pleasing favourites to ensure they don’t lose money.

“The lack of late-night transport, we need to have an investigation of the economic impact of that,” Mr McGarvey said.

Meanwhile Timmy Stewart, DJ and member of promoters the Night Institute, said a collapse in affordable places to put on events in the heart of the city pushed him to seek out alternative locations – alighting on East Belfast’s social clubs, including Ballyhackamore Working Men’s Institute and Malone Road Rugby Club.

"Doing it in social clubs means we’re able to bring it to people’s doorsteps,” he said, adding that the venues have a more mixed crowd of dancers aged from their twenties to their fifties, instead of the youth-focused city centre.

Shine director Joe Dougan also praised what he called “improvised venues”, but warned that the cost and difficulty of getting correct licenses in place puts off aspiring promoters.

“If you want to put on your first gig, it would clean you out,” he said. “You just wouldn’t bother.”