Culture Night Set To Return Following Green Party Funding Push

Belfast's popular Culture Night is poised to make a comeback in September 2025, following a successful funding initiative led by Green Party councillors on Belfast City Council.

The party secured a £150,000 funding allocation for the large-scale cultural event through this year’s rates setting process.

Culture Night, a significant celebration of the city's arts and culture, last took place in its full format in 2019, attracting an estimated 100,000 attendees.

Green Party Councillor for Botanic, Áine Groogan, was instrumental in initiating the return of the event. During her tenure as Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, she proposed that the council explore the feasibility of supporting Culture Night's revival in 2024. This led to the securing of £30,000 for a scoping exercise, which involved engagement with the arts and cultural sectors and other key stakeholders and concluded at the end of March.

Building on this groundwork, Green Party councillors successfully negotiated the £150,000 funding pot to directly support the event's organisation as part of the recent rates setting process.

Councillor Groogan expressed her enthusiasm, stating: "I am buzzing to say that Culture Night will be back in Belfast in September 2025. It is a great celebration of the best of Belfast, providing a fantastic free opportunity for the public to engage in the arts and be inspired and have a positive impact on the Nighttime Economy during the summer season."

She also acknowledged the work undertaken to pave the way for the event's return: "I want to thank Thrive & Daisy Chain Inc who have done great work over the past few months engaging with the arts and culture sector and other important stakeholders to build broad support to make Culture Night 2025 a success."

While details of the 2025 event are still to be finalised, Councillor Groogan suggested it might have a slightly different format. "The event might look a little different than before, we will know more when procurement has completed, but I am confident that we can create an exciting and inclusive program, which returns Culture Night to the roots which made it a success in the early years, and which can meaningfully support the arts & cultural sector, which the Green Party will always champion."

Ulster-Scots Agency Receives Funding Boost Following Govt Reallocation The Ulster-Scots Agency is set to receive a funding uplift of £137,500 following a reallocation of resources within the Department for Communities, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed. The move, agreed at a Council meeting on 10 April, will see £103,000 transferred from the Department’s Culture Division directly to the agency.

Due to existing cross-border funding arrangements, this decision will also trigger an additional £34,500 in support from the Irish Government, bringing the total increase to £137,500 for the Ulster-Scots Agency in 2025.

Mr Lyons said: "This funding boost reflects our clear commitment to supporting the Ulster-Scots tradition and ensuring it continues to thrive as part of the rich cultural fabric of Northern Ireland."

He added: "By directing this funding to the Ulster-Scots Agency, we are allowing the agency to expand its valuable work in communities right across Northern Ireland."

"It is vital that all traditions are respected and supported through balanced and responsible investment," the Minister stated.

The announcement comes as part of a wider funding process that also involved a separate one-off payment from the Irish Government to Foras na Gaeilge to address historical pension costs.

These one-off adjustments for 2025 precede ongoing discussions between the North South Language Body and Sponsor Departments regarding the next Corporate Planning period, spanning 2026 to 2028. These future discussions will include a review of historical governance matters within the agencies, including pension contributions.

Attack On Firefighters At Colin Glen Fire Condemned

Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker has condemned the attack on first responders who were attending a fire in Colin Glen Forest Park. The West Belfast representative described the incident as "unacceptable behaviour."

According to Mr Baker, multiple fires were set within the park on the previous night, and emergency services personnel were subjected to attacks while responding to calls from concerned residents. Police also discovered flammable materials within the forest park, indicating deliberate arson.

"Last night was just another example of the unacceptable behaviour in Colin Glen Forest Park," Mr Baker stated. "Fires have been set all over the forest and first responders have been attacked when responding to resident’s calls. Police also discovered flammable material brought into the forest park, which had been used to set the fire."

He added that he had been in contact with residents and park users on the morning following the incident. "This behaviour will not be tolerated by our community," he asserted. "The forest is a gem and by working together we will keep it that way."

Mr Baker urged anyone with information related to the incident to contact the police. "I would encourage anyone with information relating to this incident to contact police online or call 101 and quote reference number CC2025120401854," he said.