Can't believe I am dropping a star for the Black Box, but I went last night and myself and a few…read morefriends decided we would like a slice of their amazing pizza. Unfortunately we were advised that there was a new chef and pizza is no longer served by the slice and must be bought as a whole 10" pizza, not good when you have vegetarians in the group and the meat eaters miss out on their carnivorous ways as one pizza is too much for a person on their own (well sometimes it is!) To top that off the pizza was nowhere near as nice as it used to be, this is a real shame as this what made the black box stand out from the crowd. Love love love this place! It has a relaxed atmosphere and always has something unusual to keep you entertained. I would frequent here quite regularly and have always had a great time whether it is because of the show on offer or simply due to the patrons. It's honestly like going into someone's living room if you enter into the small bar, pizza is served by the slice for £1-2 and is scrumptious. A Drink is not overly priced either. In the main room at the back they have a variety of shows on offer such as comedy and music nights and even a burlesque night I recently attended. All and all the cultural heart and soul of the cathedral quarter.

Love, love, love the Black box. Did I happen to mention I love this place…read more I've had some great nights there. The burlesque nights are always brilliant. Shouldn't be missed. A night you won't forget. Also some brilliant events as part of the QCAF

We came past Bert's Jazz Club on our first evening in Belfast, but couldn't get in. We booked…read moreinstead for a Sunday evening. What a place. Yes, of course there is jazz and it was pleasant. But, in addition, the atmosphere is great, the service very nice and the food absolutely fantastic. The bar isn't bad either. A very nice place to spend the evening.

'An American in Belfast.'…read more Bert's Jazz Bar was a gem of a bar in Belfast. A thorough review of my Yelp would show a strong love of jazz and New Orleans, and somehow we stumbled on this gilded age bar in the heart of Belfast. Rich red velvet and a strong nod to New Orleans and the jazz age was backed up by a strong cocktail program with nods to New Orleans, NYC, London and Paris. Oh to find a Time Machine and try each class cocktail during the jazz age in each city. My favorite cocktail of all time is the New Orleans classic - Ramos Gin Fizz. Labeled on the menu as a 'one and only', this somewhat finicky and difficult cocktail came out nearly perfect and better than many I've sampled in NOLA. Would love to return for live music and food!

WARNING: There is a severe lack of security on Cabaret Belfast's website resulting in me being a…read morevictim of £413 scam. I tried to book 14 guests for an evening cabaret for my sister's hen do. I sent an email through the enquiry form on the website. The email I received back was from Rosalind which is the name of the owner asking me to send a £29.50pp deposit via BACS bank transfer, which I preceded to send. I rang the restaurant and they had no record of my booking on their system and told me they only take a £10pp deposit over the phone not via BACS. Therefore once I'd put my email and contact info into Cabaret Belfast Club's website, it had been intercepted by a scammer. I asked cabaret club what they were going to do about this and they said "No our website hasn't been hacked - its yours!" .... This really does not make sense and I was surprised they were so casual about it.... Really put me off going here and wouldn't recommend.

Attended a cabaret show here last night, great show! The restaurant itself is Gorgeous, opulent…read moreelegance that screams theatre and cabaret, mini lamps on the tables and squishy banquets for small groups or romantic meals. I had the aranchini for starter - risotto balls with beetroot, walnuts and pesto. The aranchini themselves were rice and beetroot, a bit soggy inside if I'm being honest but quite tasty. The accompanying rocket and walnut salad was delicious and was served with aioli and balsamic syrup. For main I had herb crusted salmon, with smashed potatoes and caper butter. This was absolutely delicious, i couldn't fault it, the herb coating was so crunchy and tasty!! My only criticism is that no vegetables were served with my main, even a small amount with the dish would have been welcome.

Without a doubt Culture Night Belfast is the best night of the year. Despite recent arts cuts…read moreCulture Night was back in September 2015 even bigger and better than before. It's an annual occurrence consisting of a full day of activities. Over 250 free arts events starting at 1pm and running until late. Belfast comes to life on this one day like no other. There's a leisurely, relaxed, bustling vibe throughout the city with most activities happening in the Cathedral Quarter area. Visual art, music, dancing, sword fencing, magicians, street artists, performance art, circus acts, art exhibitions, fire dancers, roller derbies, jugglers, food and drink. There's a bedazzling array of entertainment and it's for all age groups from babies to centenarians. The streets are closed off to traffic and you can grab a drink, a Culture Night brochure and just wander about exploring what's on. It's a magical night. Forget Christmas, Halloween or any other festivity or festival. Nothing compares to Belfast Culture Night - it's the best - I hope it never stops. Here are some of my favourites from CNB15: INKIE art exhibition ~ Ink Monkey art shop Claire Carpenter art exhibition ~ Cafe 31 Faigy art exhibition ~ Assembly Rooms Yarn bombing by Saturday Knit Fever Fire dancing by FirePoise Lumen by Guerilla Shout & DSNT Hit The North Street Art Festival Urban dance by Cypher Sessions Belfast Roller Derby Irish dance ~ Tir na n-Og Dance Group DeLorean Print Cars ~ Belfast Photo Festival

Culture Night Belfast took place for the first time last year, and it got even bigger this year. It…read morebasically involves every arts organisation flinging its doors open to the public for free and as a result, there's a real buzz about the place. It initially started as a Cathedral Quarter event, but was extended a little to include some of South Belfast this year. My understanding is that they want to eventually have Culture Night take place all over the city, which would be some achievement! The events are massively varied - Belfast Film Festival might put on what they call "Bean Bag Cinema", which is where a film is screened in one of the Cathedral Quarter's alleyways, with the audience sitting on Bean Bags. The galleries in the area might put on special shows, artists take to the streets to create something on the night and almost every cafe or restaurant has some sort of live music going on. It's such a great way to remove some of the barriers that stop people getting involved in the arts. Since it's all so relaxed, it's really easy to just go down, have a wander round and see what grabs your attention!

Belfast Exposed was founded in 1983 as part of a community photographic initiative. It now acts as…read morea gallery / exhibition area for photographers with an emphasis on commissioning and a view to publishing new work. It is an extensive gallery which also runs a community outreach programme . Their aim is to help people to learn from and understand their community through photography and they offer a range of courses and developmental programmes. Belfast Exchange is the archive programme compiled of over half a million images collected over the last 30 years in Belfast. These are a great and interesting insight in to Belfast life and events over the past years. Call in to the gallery, or to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum to see the archive of photographs. You never know, you might spot some one you know! This is an invaluable part of our history which should be cherished and supported. As far as the gallery goes, most of the time I've been in I have to say I haven't been overly impressed with the work they've decided to show, but that's just my taste. On occasions there's been pictures that have blown me away, that's more a rarity though. The gallery has great potential for doing some amazing things but I think its stuck in a bit of a rut as far as choice and selection is concerned. Their concept of the community gallery is a great idea; I just wish they could carry it all through properly.

Belfast Exposed was founded in 1983 as a community based arts initiative. The photographers who…read morefounded Belfast Exposed wanted to use the art form of photography as a way to break down barriers in Belfast and the rest of the world. Since then, Belfast Exposed has been holding art exhibitions, community events and also training and development classes for those looking to learn the art form of photography. The gallery exhibition changes every couple of months and hosts a fantastic collection of work from Belfast, Ireland and beyond. Their web site holds a treasure trove of archival material from Belfast and Northern Ireland's past.

Before planning our trip here, I was unaware that the Titanic originated in Belfast. This museum…read moredid an incredible job of detailing all that went into the ship as well as all that went wrong after they were at sea. The place is very large and the tour takes a couple hours. You're taken through the processes that occurred during the massive undertaking it was to construct the ship, to the setup onboard and ultimately the voltage itself. The place flows very nicely, there's a delightful ride and the pictures/audio tell quite the story. It's a very powerful place. The SS Nomadic outside is the last surviving ferry ship in the fleet was great to walk on and around. This is a must see spot when you're up in Belfast!

I was blown away by this museum! Sure it's an extremely popular historic event with a huge movie…read moreto gather even more attention, but Belfast had done it right. I enjoyed every aspect to the gigantic museum, from the surrounding area , before you enter, to each and every floor full of displays, movies and interactive activities. Masses of people will be there, yet I never felt rushed or overwhelmed as I worked my way through. So many thumbs up to this iconic museum. Must see!

Great place. Love this design mix of old and new…read more The actual theatre was outstanding in terms of the art on the roof etc. I think I spent just as much time looking up as I did the show.

I love the Grand Opera House. A visit to see a show here makes for a fabulous day or evening out…read more Over the years some of my favourites have been The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dracula Untold, Columbo: Prescription Murder, Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, Dirty Dancing and The Woman In Black. It's also a visually fabulous Victorian style theatre and even the modern architecture of the Baby Grand section is beginning to appeal to me (although I disliked it when it was first built). There are a couple of bars inside which boast a good drinks menu and as with all theatres, you can preorder your beverages for performance intervals. Being a relatively small theatre auditorium I always find there's a good view of the stage no matter where you sit, great sound and comfortable seating too. There are a couple of small drawbacks however. Tickets to popular performances can sell out fast, so you need to book immediately if you're interested in a show. Plus tickets can be expensive as well, so it's not a cheap day out. Nonetheless, you'll find a huge range of performances here including musicals, drama, comedy, opera, pantos and dance so there really is something to suit all tastes.

Array Studios are tucked away upstairs on the second floor of a large building on King Street. It's…read morea cosy, quirky, cluttered, relaxed studio space which has been home to a vast assortment of changing Artists over 20 years. Current members include Jane Butler, Declan Byrne, Emma Campbell, Claire Donnelly, Clodagh Lavelle and Laura O'Connor. The range of art created here is broad including performance, installation, print, drawing, painting, sculpture, light, sound, video and photography. It's easy to understand why this studio was initially called Magpie, although Array's a very suitable name too. A youthful, lively atmosphere abounds within Array Studios. The Artists are pleasant, entertaining and informative and artworks produced here are some of the most fascinating and innovative I've seen. Array also run regular, relaxed 'Sunday Salons' for purposes of contemporary art critique and debate. Any Artist can attend - you don't have to be a studio member. Additionally they offer a PhD Research Space, in response to a lack of such space for students at the local Ulster University Art College. As per Array's website: "Participating artists, practitioners and researchers will be given a 4-6 week long period in a free space to either create new works or to continue work towards their PhD projects whilst also having the opportunity to present their own uniquely designed events or artist talks...These events will be open to the public allowing access to the works and ideas of arts PhD researchers and to facilitate exchange of ideas..." More information at their website: http://www.arraystudiosbelfast.com

We went to enjoy an Eagles tribute band. They were very good, and despite being one band member…read moredown through injury, they performed just over 2 hours but we thought Talon (another Eagles tribute) were better. There's very little car parking nearby and the area around the hall has become overrun with hotels. The hall was quaint, airy, with good acoustics, but I found the seating cheap and terribly uncomfortable - if I were 7 stone and ultra thin it might have been ok but alas no. Worst of all, my view, from my ground floor seat, was spoiled as I was sat right beside an ugly 6 inch steel pillar (no centimetres here so I'm ready for Brexit - which is more than the government can say). I felt quite cheated on being charged full ticket price for an obstructed view. The hall sells alcohol, but we didn't bother as it's just not comfortable enough to relax enough to enjoy a drink. Now this will sound a bit daft but I'd struggle to name more than two members of the original Eagles band. I like their music but I've no real interest in knowing anything about them. Spookily enough it's been 25 years to the day since we were in this beautiful hall. Sadly we can't change the past as on that magical night we saw John Denver live for the last time. As I sat there last night, I recalled John telling the story of how he came to write Shanghai Breezes out of a phone conversation to his former wife when he was in Shanghai. He linked his tale to suggest something we already know and often ignore here, that in this throwback place we should be able to live together harmoniously. Plainly we still choose not to put ourselves out too much.

Ahhhhh...Ulster Hall...the memories! During my misspent youth I saw quite a few great (and…read morequestionable) bands here including Aerosmith, Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Def Leppard - well it was the early 1990s hahahahaha! In more recent years I've seen The Cult in concert (it always annoyed me that I didn't get to see them play years ago), numerous art exhibitions and the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival. Conveniently and centrally located on Bedford Street, Ulster Hall's easy to reach by foot or bus. I love the small, intimate environment of this understated, beautiful, Victorian building which is great for smaller events. The interior is refined elegance with the world-famous Mulholland Grand Organ prominently displayed and an art gallery space too. However, it can feel a bit overpopulated at times, as was the case with the 2015 Belfast Beer and Cider Festival and I find the temperature is often uncomfortably warm, especially when packed for a concert or event. Much to my embarrassment I've never actually seen the Ulster Orchestra live, whose home is in the Ulster Hall, but I'm planning on seeing them soon and am keeping an eye on Belfast City Councils website for more Ulster Hall events.

The (Warzone) Centre has a subterranean feel despite being located up a flight of stairs in Little…read moreVictoria Street. It's not well signposted, so could easily be missed. I would describe this place as being like marmite, you'll either love it or hate it. To really appreciate The Centre you need to fully understand it's history, ethics and reason for existence. It was created in 1986 and has opened and closed over the years, changing location a few times. Born out of a need to serve 'alternative culture' in Belfast, it's home to music gigs, art workshops, Giros Vegetarian Cafe, talks, lectures, meetings, gatherings and art exhibitions. It fills a space and need in Belfast which just isn't being met anywhere else and is run by volunteers. Atmosphere is grungy and dark with mural painted walls and twinkly fairy lights strung across the ceiling. To visualise the appearance and vibe of this place think - punk, gothic, rock, band posters, creative, different, alternative and absolutely not mainstream - and you'll be someway there. I've attended a couple of Vegan Event talks here which were excellent and sampled some delicious spicy vegetarian stew from Giros - thanks to the generous Colin W for sharing it with me! There's a stage, Giros Cafe kitchen and counter, tables, chairs and plenty of floor space. Anyone can book this Centre for an event, to do so you just email: warzonegigcollective@riseup.net For information on upcoming events visit the Warzone website or Facebook page at: http://www.warzonecollective.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Warzone-gig-collective/156649134364054 I would also recommend keeping an eye on the Plant Based Living Facebook page for event information: https://www.facebook.com/Plant-Based-Living-1561868980720956/

The Warzone Centre is a pretty cool venue. It has a bit of a feel of a community hall or really…read moregrungy trendy art venue. The whole place is decorated with some awesome artwork in a very street art/graffiti type vibe. As a venue itself its of moderate size and seems capable of handling a variety of types of event. I attended a vegan talk there last night and it was my first time in the centre. (I hadn't even realised it was there!) Definitely a trendy, heart of the city kind of place. I'd recommend it for any number of events.