Come On Over! Belfast's cultural venues join forces to bring communities together through a celebration of culture, creativity and shared traditions
Cultural venues across Belfast have come together to celebrate the city's rich diversity, with a programme of community-led events inviting people to explore new places, discover shared traditions and connect with their neighbours.
Led by MayWe Events, Come On Over: Bringing People & Places Together Through Culture is a city-wide PEACEPLUS initiative bringing cultural venues, grassroots community groups and local schools together to create new opportunities for connection through arts, culture and heritage.
Running from October 2025 to September 2027, Come On Over will bring together 12 cultural venues and engage 426 participants over the course of the programme; and is backed by £206,330 in funding through Belfast City Council's Belfast PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan, under its Celebrating Cultures and Diversity theme. It is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), with match funding from The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.
Come On Over continues to gather momentum as participating organisations work alongside their local communities to develop a series of creative activities and shared experiences across North, South, East and West Belfast and the city centre.
The current participating venues include Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, The MAC Belfast, Discover Ulster-Scots Centre & Visitor Centre, Banana Block, Belfast Intercultural Romanian Community, Eastside Partnership's Templemore Baths, UNTOLD, The Linen Hall Library, NI War Memorial Museum and St Joseph's Sailortown. Each venue brings its own distinctive character, cultural heritage and community connections to the programme, creating opportunities for people to experience parts of Belfast they may not have visited before.
From storytelling and music to creative workshops, cultural celebrations and community gatherings, the activities are being designed and developed by the venues themselves in collaboration with grassroots community organisations and schools in their surrounding neighbourhoods.
At the heart of the programme is a simple invitation: Come on over, discover somewhere new and get to know the people and communities that make Belfast what it is.
A little magic between East and West Belfast
The first major public celebration will take place on 19th November, when the programme brings a touch of Samhain magic to East and West Belfast. Templemore Baths, Banana Block and Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich will join forces for a Harvest celebration inspired by Samhain, exploring the folklore, stories and seasonal traditions shared across Belfast's diverse cultural communities.
The event will invite visitors to journey between venues, experience different cultural spaces and discover the connections between traditions that have been passed down through generations, connecting us all as one regardless of how we celebrate. With storytelling, entertainment and seasonal-specific creative activities, the celebration promises an opportunity for families, friends and neighbours to enjoy a little seasonal magic while discovering something new about the city's cultural heritage.
Bringing North and South together this winter
The celebrations will continue on 10th December with a winter-themed programme, Coming Home for Christmas,connecting communities across North and South Belfast. St Joseph's Sailortown, Clifton House Belfast, UNTOLD and Belfast Intercultural Romanian Community will collaborate on a festive celebration exploring the traditions, stories and experiences that bring people together during the winter festive season.
Designed to welcome people from all backgrounds, this event will offer a fresh take on the festive season, encouraging visitors to discover different cultural traditions while celebrating the warmth, creativity and community spirit that Belfast has to offer.
Both events form part of a wider programme of activities designed to encourage people to explore cultural venues beyond their own neighbourhoods and build lasting connections across the city. The programme of activities will continue through July 2027 across participating venues throughout Belfast.
More than just a visit
Alongside the public events, Come On Over is supporting participating venues to strengthen their community engagement and develop new approaches to inclusive cultural programming. Through shared learning, capacity-building sessions and collaborative activities, venue staff are exchanging knowledge, working together and exploring ways to make their spaces more welcoming, accessible and representative of the communities around them.
The programme also places a strong emphasis on local participation, ensuring that community groups and schools are actively involved in shaping the activities rather than simply attending them. By giving local people a voice in how cultural experiences are developed and delivered, the project aims to create meaningful connections between venues and their surrounding communities, while encouraging collaboration across different areas of Belfast.
Lois Kennedy, Joint Managing Director of MayWe Events said:
"One of the most exciting things about Come On Over is seeing how much creativity and enthusiasm each venue brings to the table. Every organisation has its own story, its own community and its own ideas, and bringing those together is what makes this programme so special. We're not just inviting people into cultural spaces. We're creating opportunities for communities to get to know one another, share their traditions and experience parts of Belfast they might never have thought to visit. With these fantastic venues now on board, we're really starting to see the programme come to life. The upcoming Samhain harvest and winter celebrations are a brilliant opportunity to bring that collaboration out into the city, and we can't wait to welcome people along."
And with plenty more to come, the invitation doesn't stop there. As the programme continues to grow, additional venue partners, further events, creative collaborations and community activities will offer even more opportunities for Belfast residents to get involved, meet new people and discover the cultural spaces right on their doorstep.
Whether you're interested in history, heritage, music, creativity or simply fancy discovering somewhere new, there's a place for you.
For programme updates and details of upcoming activities, follow MayWe on socials (Instagram @maywe; Facebook @maywe_events) and visit https://www.maywe.co.uk/come-on-over for continuous event updates!
Come On Over. You might be surprised by what you discover!
For more information on Belfast City Council’s PEACEPLUS Local Community Action plan, visit the council website at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/PEACEPLUS
For further details on PEACEPLUS visit the SEUPB website at https://www.seupb.eu/peaceplus