21/07/2009

Belfast Art Tour Boosts Tourism

An award-winning initiative to increase the profile of Belfast's many art galleries has been extended over the summer months.

For the past year, 'Late Night Art' has seen the city's galleries staying open until 9pm on the first Thursday of every month with an accompanying coach and walking tours consistently selling out each month.

The initiative was named 'Best New Project' at the recent Northern Ireland Tourism Awards as a result and now, over the summer months, the scheme is being extended to Sundays, with galleries opening, special workshops and talks and tours of the Cathedral Quarter.

These free tours, led by a number of renowned Belfast artists, leave Belfast Exposed in Donegall Street at 11am and last around two hours.

Among the galleries opening on Sundays are Belfast Exposed, Belfast Print Workshop in Cotton Court, the Golden Thread Gallery in Great Patrick Street, Red Barn in Rosemary Street and Paragon Studios in Donegall Street.

The gallery openings and tours are part of Belfast City Council’s special 'Summer Sundays' campaign, which sees the city come alive on Sundays, with a sizzling line-up of special events and activities in the city's cultural hub, the Cathedral Quarter, and a host of things to do and see throughout the city.

Belfast Community Circus are staging free street theatre, with some of the finest entertainers in Europe performing at the Cotton Court in Waring Street, and the nearby Black Box is hosting a series of special Sunday events, including showings of classic horror films, its popular 'Big Black Comedy Club' and the monthly 'Black Market'.

Meanwhile, although the Cathedral Quarter is the hub of the programme, there also are plenty of other attractions all over the city, with tours of Crumlin Road gaol, the city's political murals, and the shipyard where Titanic was built among the highlights.

Visitors can also follow in the footsteps of C S Lewis, meet birds of prey at the Zoo or living history characters at Queen's University, enjoy live music in the parks and pulsating drama for all the family.

Details of their exhibitions can be found at : www.belfastgalleries.com

(BMcC/KMcA)

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