Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (CQ BID) has revealed its continued investment and support for a dynamic range of festivals taking place in its location throughout 2025.
Festivals such as Belfast Children’s Festival (Young at Art), Festival of Fools, CQ Arts Festival, Belfast Blues Festival, Belfast TradFest, Belfast International Arts Festival, The Winter Circus (Tumble Circus) to name but a few, helped to attract around 181,000 visitors* to the Cathedral Quarter and wider city centre locations last year.
As part of future plans, CQ BID has said it aims to support at least one festival or event each month of the year, with talks already taking place to explore the potential of an annual Cathedral Quarter Comedy Festival.
Tzvetelina Bogoina, Chair of CQ BID said:
“The Cathedral Quarter has long been a cultural heartbeat of Belfast, and our continued investment in festivals is about breathing life into the streets and showcase all that makes this part of the city special. There is no doubting the impact and benefits provided by our investment in festivals. The additional footfall drives business and enhances the reputation of the location, and the arts organisations gain huge benefits from the support of the civic and business community.”
CQ BID Manager, Damien Corr added:
“As the artistic & cultural heart of the city, it is crucial that we continue to build on our reputation. In these straightened times art and culture have never been so important and not just for art’s sake! The 2024 festival visitor figures were phenomenal and the potential spending power significant! We hope to build on these figures as we continue our support throughout 2025 and beyond. We encourage our colleagues in the Statutory and Business sectors to take a closer look at the wider value of Art and Culture to this City.”
