EastSide Arts

EastSide Arts aims to create an east Belfast that is a thriving cultural hub; where the arts are valued, creativity is for everyone and people are connected with each other and the wider world.

We aim to:

  1. improve equity of opportunity for people in east Belfast to engage with creative activities
  2. create a variety of meaningful, open and inclusive opportunities for people in east Belfast to explore creativity and connect with others
  3. celebrate the past, present and future of east Belfast;
  4. develop relationships that ensure the long-term stability of EastSide Arts and create investment in the arts in east Belfast

We create meaningful opportunities to connect through creativity all year round:

Community Engagement - Year round creative projects and events

Since 2016 we have worked to ensure that creativity is for everyone in east Belfast. Our community engagement programme aims to better connect individuals and communities, provide opportunities to be creative and show the positive impact of the arts in everyday life. 

The community engagement programme features 2 strands of work:

  1. Open to All - Projects and events that give anyone living in the area a chance to get creative on their own terms in a fun environment.
  2. Special Focus - Projects that tackle specific needs in the area which focus on bettering wellbeing, creating new relationships and improving inclusion. promotes an annual arts festival each 

EastSide Arts Festival - Annual showcase of arts and culture

In 2012 a group of like-minded east Belfast residents who are passionate about arts and culture came together to run a festival on their own doorstep; the East Belfast Arts Festival.  After several very successful years, the event was rebranded the EastSide Arts Festival in 2015 and the headline event that year was Van Morrison on Cyprus Avenue. 

The festival continues to grow and develop each year, encompassing a wide variety of artforms in a diverse, innovative and quirky programme that is unique to this part of the city. EastSide Arts Festival  takes place each year for 11 days in August, presenting a showcase of the extraordinary artists, venues, spaces and communities of east Belfast for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.