I remember this festival being advertised when I started college this time last year and this time…read morearound I'm planning on taking advantage of all the great acts on offer. I just SOL'ed (that's Screamed Out Loud) (and erm I just made it up) when I checked the website for the line up there and saw that Dublin's finest Villagers are sold out!! Mercury Music Prize 2010 nominees Villagers are the cream of the crop. If you're lucky enough to have gotten a ticket you are in for a captivating show. Seriously. Another top tip (take my word for it) is the lovely Isobel Anderson who is playing the No Alibis Tent (at Custom House Square) on Sunday Sept 12th at 12:00pm. There seems to be a real buzz around this spellbinding folk singer at the moment. She plays an autoharp and guitar to back her intensely personal folk songs. A cut above the rest. Out of the other big acts there is Wilco who are superb live, Mumford and Sons (unfortunately sold out), Seasick Steve, Modest Mouse, Iron&Wine and some great local acts like Kowalski. (If you would like some more music tips, visit my music blog on my profile here) Anyway the Open House festival is a tip top festival comprising of little gigs dotted around Belfast's finer venues from the 6th to 12th September. There are loads of little quirky events going on too- are you brave enough to enter the chilli eating contest? There's also the intriguing sounding Strictly Come Barn Dancing, vintage clothing, a Beard grooming comp, Helium karaoke, a Cupcake Corner, Black Market and the highly recommended Vintage Rocks hairstyling (see my next review) to pick from. There's also some traditional Irish music if you enjoy a good aul session!

Oh look, another festival in Belfast…read more.. Sometimes it annoys me that we have so many festivals, but then, when you look at it, each of them brings something worthwhile to the city, so I shouldn't' really moan. This festival brings a more bluesy, country and traditional music to Belfast, and while none of those genres particularly excite me, it's great to see them being catered for. Plus, this year they got Mumford and Sons and Wilco, both of whom I love, so it's a very enthusiastic 4 stars from me!

Belfast Festival at Queen's was established in 1962 and ran successfully for over half a century,…read moreuntil 2015, when Queen's University Belfast (QUB) announced they could/would no longer fund it. Thus QUB effectively pulled the plug, handed festival staff redundancies and turfed them out into the cold. Undeterred, this dedicated festival team carried on, securing funding from Ulster Bank, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and many others sponsors. They found new offices, a fresh international focus and morphed the Belfast Festival at Queen's into the phenomenon that is now known as Belfast International Arts Festival. Hence a truly great thing was born. Belfast International Arts Festival aims to give all people affordable access to dance, music, film, art, theatre and literature of a contemporary nature and international stature. It's a fantastic three-week-long programme occurring annually in October which offers something for everyone. I never really got into this festival until last year (2015) when I attended the breathtaking AniMotion Show, an outdoor event of music, sound and visual art which totally blew my mind. Being a fan of visual art I also adored Belfast Open Studios where 20 artists studios allowed full access to the general public. Additionally the Annual RUA Art Exhibition is a show I visited numerous times and an absolute treat for the eyeballs. This year I secured my festival brochure as soon as it was available and have circled a long list of events to attend. I love that there are plentiful free and economically priced events. Plus there are many Irish/UK premieres and internationally renowned Artists to enjoy. Belfast International Arts Festival is cutting-edge, brilliant and the granddaddy of them all in Northern Ireland. If you attend only one festival this year, make it this one - it's far too good to miss!

Given that I just picked up the programme for this about an hour ago, it seemed only fitting that I…read moreshould share my thoughts with the Yelping world. The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's (to give it it's full, but never used title) is on every year for two weeks in October, and 90% of the time it's made of win. It's the big daddy of the countless festivals in this city, and it's easy to see why. It gives equal billing to music as it does to film, drama, dance and visual arts, and every year they attract a few heavy hitters to pull in the crowds. This year, for example, I'm particularly excited about an evening with Michael Palin and the Dublin Gospel Choir. Possibly the only downside to the Fesitval is that to go to everything that I wanted to would probably involve me selling a kidney! Most of the events are around the £10/£15 mark, but some run as high as £20 or £25. I'm not complaining, I mean, that's just what it costs to have the Festival work, it's just frustrating when you can't afford to see everything!

There's always an air of excitement when Belfast Film Festival begins and this year has been no…read moredifferent. With the Northern Irish film Industry booming it seems like this year's festival will be a celebration of the talent that we have on these shores. The Belfast Film Festival organisers are excellent at promoting local venues and businesses. For instance last night I attended a special screening of Network aptly shown in a BBC studio at Balckstaff House. The venue was a perfect compliment to the movie and this is the beauty of The Belfast Film Festival - it provides a cinematic experience. The local promotion didn't stop there as Fratelli's hosted the pre movie drinks. It's fantastic to see a festival and local businesses work together to promote all Belfast has to offer. Venues include QFT, The Black Box and Moviehouse on the Dublin Road. This is the 15th year of The Belfast Film Festival and it's running from 16th April - 25th April - so if you want to see some local talent in the big screen or just want to see some local venues in a different light then look no further.

Belfast Film Festival takes place every year in April for two weeks…read more The programme is usually very varied, so it's hard to describe it exactly. Basically though, you can expect every kind of film; comedy, sci-fi, art house, horror, classic and there's usually a strong local or Irish feel about it too. The movies are screened in venues all over the city, some conventional cinemas and some more unconventional venues (like on a boat going on the Lagan for instance!) For proper film buffs, there are talks and workshops as well. There's generally something for everyone and it's a great chance to see some interesting films in unusual settings. There are also special events that take place during the rest of the year, so it's always worth keeping an eye on the website to see if there's anything on.

Not just for culture vultures, The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (aka CQAF) is for everyone. It's…read morean annual celebration of visual art, comedy, theatre, music and literature. A lively and exciting festival with 150 events happening in 30 venues across Belfast but mainly concentrated in the Cathedral Quarter and Custom House Square. I absolutely love it and you'll find both popular and more obscure events happening. One of my favourites from a couple of years ago in 2014 was South Saharan band Tinariwen. A fabulous music concert and a band who I would never even have heard of if it weren't for CQAF. This year the 2016 program looks amazing and I'm already circling dates in my diary for the following events: ~ Vegstock, a vegetarian festival 02/05/2016 ~ Guy Garvey in concert 01/05/2016 ~ Ursula Burns, comedy harpist 04/05/2016 ~ Seeing Through Your Eyes: The Photographs of Peter Dressler 1972-2003, 01/04 - 14/05/2016 ~ Late Night Art Walking Tour 05/05/2016 ~ Monochrome in Cathedral Studios, 6 Artists respond to the theme 'monochrome' 05/05/2016 ~ Wet Plate portraits by Matthew Gordon and Jim Maginn 28/04 - 28/05/2016 ~ Rumpelstiltskin Revisited, knitted paintings by Jacqueline Wylie 29/04 - 10/06/2016 ~ The Death of Orpheus and Other Myths, screen prints by Leo Boyd 28/04 - 28/05/2016 There are a lot more events happening between 28 April and 8 May 2016, so go check the programme out online at http://cqaf.com/2016/

The Cathedral Quarter is a bit of a cultural monster in Belfast at the minute, and the Cathedral…read moreQuarter Arts Festival showcases the variety of arts on offer in Belfast to perfection. It's slightly less mainstream than the Belfast Festival at Queen's, so you might not recognise that many names when you go through the programme (I know I don't, anyway!), but don't let that put you off. Most of the events are very reasonably priced, so take a chance and go see a blues artist, or a stand-up you've never heard of, or a debate on modern architecture in Belfast - you might just be surprised! Belfast is fast becoming a city of festivals - we have one for everything! But the Cathedral Quarter has managed to separate itself from the crowd by providing a programme that is at once populist and alternative, providing support and inspiration for the arts in Belfast, and that can't be a bad thing, right?

We went to Belsonic to see Lizzo and the site that it's on is amazing, plenty of places to buy food…read moreand drink. The stage was massive and could be seen from the whole standing area. Sound was perfect. I would definitely come again to watch an artist.

I only give 1 star purely for alcohol beverages. This place is sponsored by Limelite and does not…read moresell any Gin/Tonic or Soda Water ect. The only alcohol they sell is Tennents £7. Red & White Wine, a glass £8. Vodka and Coke ect & Magners. No price because I didn't purchase. Very disappointed.

Young At Art is a lovely little organisation who are mostly known for organising and delivering the…read moreBelfast Children's Festival, but who also work all year round encouraging young people to get involved in all aspects of the arts. They organsie different events throughout the year - things like exhibitions, competitions and events in schools. As far as I know they are fairly new (well, the Children's Festival is anyway), so it'd be a real shame if they were the victim of the funding cuts that are coming...

W5 is officially described as 'an interactive discovery centre' which doesn't sound half as much…read morefun as it really is. It is an educational place, but boy is it fun! The first time we went, my kids were absolutely blown away - there is nothing else in Belfast in this league. There are 4 separate areas - START, GO, SEE and DO and each has loads of fun stuff for kids and the adults with them to do. START is best for younger children - although my 9 year old still secretly loves it. You can't imagine some of the exhibits and best of all, you are allowed to touch and get involved with everything. First thing you'll see is the fully functioning mini branch of Tesco - shelves, fruit, veg, packets and a chilled counter with fake lobsters and mussels and even a till which beeps as you put each item through. Genius. Then there's the real Mini car which you can tinker around with, a mini building site with crane and foam bricks and roof tiles, a huge water play area (they even provide waterproof aprons), and how great is this - a recording studio where you can watch yourself on screen as you play a wooden guitar. I mean the children can watch themselves, obviously I haven't done that. GO is all about space so will appeal to junior astronauts. You can sit on pulley chairs which you have to use your own body strength to lift, join in a massive tug of war, experiment with magnets, and build and race K'Nex cars. SEE - I love this bit. You can create cartoons and add sound effects. I think I missed my vocation in life. Even better, you can make music with lights and your movements. This section is quite 'laboratory' like and will appeal to even too cool for skool pre and early teens. Finally there is DO, where you can get stuck in building robots and learning all about our weather systems. Like anything you make in W5, you have to respect the rules and leave your model behind for someone else to dismantle and use the materials. There is a café but it sells a limited selection of scones and sandwiches. But the good news is that there are picnic areas so you can bring your own food, saving money and ensuring that your kids will have something they like. There's also a shop which sells reasonably priced gadgets and toys. A stroke of genius is that there are lockers on the ground floor so don't have to carry bags and coats etc which I think is fab, especially in winter when you'll have hats, scarves etc too. A ticket for 2 adults and 2 children will cost £22. That might seem off putting at first glance but bear in mind that your ticket is valid for the full day and you can leave for something to eat in one of the nearby restaurants and go back in. You could easily spend 3 -4 hours at W5, especially on your first visit. I cannot recommend W5 highly enough for a family day out , just one word of caution, wet days in the summer holidays can be crazy busy in W5, so go first thing or later on in the day.

Recently visited w5 with a very hyperactive 1 year old godchild and she as well as i loved it! It…read moreis great for tiny people to explore and run away with their imagination! In particular the kids seemed to enjoy the discovery area which is for under 8's only. It is a great place for children to get into role play as it is set out in real life situations and allows children to learn about themselves and the world around them as well as encouraging them to experiment. There is a little water area which is particularly good for sensory and motor development and the little ones appeared to have a ball in here! One tip is to bring an extra set of clothes for them because if they are anything like this child they (and everyone else around them) will be soaked from head to toe!! Children under 3 years go free and £8.50 for an adult. They also do great family offers and all in all it is a great family day out for all ages :)

This festival is a real gem, and is a welcome addition to the cultural activities of Belfast!It is…read morelocated this year in Botanic Gardens which makes it a central and easily accessible place for all those of Belfast and beyond! To start off, the food is provided by the finest chefs from the restaurants of Northern Ireland. I was there yesterday and I was lucky to sample food from the chefs of La Boca, Mourne Seafood Bar and the Fitzwilliam Hotel. There is a wide range of food to cater to all tastes, including vegetarians. As for the music, it is mainly of the cover band variety, but when the bands are tight and very engaging like Flash Harry and Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac, the lack of originality can be overlooked! There a wide range of pricing plans, ranging from £5 for five sampling tokens and admission in the lunch time hours to the "Premiere Club Taste Fest" package for £50 which gets you entry to every day, 25 food tokens and a free drink of your choice.It is up to you what you need most! I wish this Festival the best of luck and hope it grows stronger in the years to come!

Ok, so positives first:…read more The food! Yummy! There's so much variety and you get to sample food from the best of NI's chefs and restaurants - Belfast's Merchant, Portadown's Yellow Door - they're all there and the food is (generally) divine. The entertainment is also pretty good. Last year when I went it was the Strictly Come Dancing band and two of the dancers (this was great for me - I'm a massive Strictly fan!) and this year, I saw Flash Harry, who are a really very good Queen tribute band. And now the negatives - it's so expensive! You can burn £30 or £40 without thinking, which stings a bit! Actually, that's about the only negative I can think of. I was going to mention the weather, since it was a total wash out, but it seems unfair to use that against them. It's an incredibly well organised event that's well worth going to, even if it will set you back.