Every year, the largest festival of its kind in Ireland brings the best of international art to Belfast and brings international attention to the city’s dynamic arts practitioners. The Festival covers all art forms including theatre, dance, classical music, literature, jazz, comedy, visual arts, folk music and popular music, attracting audiences of 60,000 annually.
The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's has an excellent reputation for presenting the best of Irish, UK and international culture each October. Northern Ireland has embraced the role of culture in its everyday life and the overall benefits of such a successful festival to the city from a tourism point of view are obvious.
But perhaps more importantly this festival and the arts sector as a whole contribute positively to an image of Belfast as a vibrant cultural and economic capital, as a place that has a good quality of life and a place in which it is a pleasure to do business. Hopefully the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s prompts a little glimmer of civic pride.
2009 saw the Festival reach its 47th anniversary, and it was one to remember with visitors travelling from far and wide, including America, Canada, New Zealand, Germany and the Czech Republic.
