Date: 16 May 2025
Category: City centre
Belfast’s rich musical talent will take centre stage on Saturday 24 May for a day of free gigs and showcases as the Lord Mayor’s term in office draws to a close.
First Citizen Councillor Micky Murray is inviting everyone to join him for a Musical Finale, celebrating local artists at venues across the city centre from 10am to 7pm.
There will be something for all ages, starting at 10am in 2 Royal Avenue. The venue will host live music throughout the day, including young musicians from 4pm-7pm, alongside pop-up performances outside from Sarah Anna Rees, Amanda Fawn and the Quire Choir.
Inside, there will be Broadway Babies classes for babies and toddlers, drumming sessions for families, musical theatre workshops with James Huish and the Alfie Boe Academy and performances from Smack Jay and Anna’s Number.
Bank Square will be a hub for vibrant street art demos with Seedhead Arts, along with street performers and walkabout acts (1pm-5pm), while St George’s Market has music from Rory Nellis, 11am-3pm.
With the Spring Continental Market also visiting City Hall grounds over the bank holiday weekend, it’s a bumper day out for visitors to Belfast city centre, with plenty to choose from.
The market itself will have live music from 1pm-5pm and, inside City Hall, the Oh Yeah Music Centre – one of the Lord Mayor’s chosen charities – will host an Acoustic Picnic and Open Mic session for under 18s from 2.30pm-5.30pm.
Highlights include the debut performance from Owen Denvir and the Carubians, whose YouTube channel features music and songs perfect for children.
Young musicians wanting to take part in the Open Mic session can email [email protected] to register.
Show Some Love – another of the Lord Mayor’s charities – will host the Beat Boutique disco at their Green House home from 3pm-7pm (over 18s only, no ticket required).
An Droichead will also host their Traditional Music Trail from 3pm-5.30pm, starting at Madden’s Bar and finishing at McHugh’s while Creative Tours, in association with Oh Yeah Music Centre, have Belfast Music walking tours, starting at Ulster Hall and finishing at Oh Yeah, at 1pm.
Councillor Murray’s remaining charities, Depaul and Inspire Wellbeing, will also be sharing information about their services at 2 Royal Avenue throughout the day.
Tickets for all events are free (with exception of the Traditional Music Trail and Belfast Music tours) with full info and booking details at belfastcity.gov.uk/lordmayorsday
Looking ahead to the programme, Councillor Murray said: “I’ve been wowed this year with the depth of talent within our local music scene and I wanted to celebrate it by providing a platform for musicians and performers to showcase their skills.
“My Musical Finale is an opportunity for people to come into the city centre and enjoy a day of free events over the bank holiday weekend.
“And, with preparations now well underway for Fleadh Cheoil na Éireann next summer, this is the ideal chance to experience music popping up in all sorts of venues and enjoy the rich diversity of talent we have on our own doorstep.”
Belfast City Hall,
Belfast,
BT1 5GS
028 9032 0202
Social media channels
It looks like you’re using IE11…
This browser offers limited functionality on our website. We recommend you use the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.