The Carnival event will not be happening at City Hall on Saturday. Instead, the Parade will start at Writers’ Square. There will be carnival music performances from 1.30pm. The Parade will set off at 2.00pm from Donegall Street to Royal Avenue. There will be a main Carnival Parade performance in the City Centre (Royal Avenue and Castle Place) at 2.30pm. The Parade will then continue via High Street to enter Custom House Square at 3.00pm.
Carnival Parade (City Centre 2 – 3pm)
Writers’ Square –> Donegall Street –> Royal Avenue –> High Street –> Custom House Square
1.30pm: Funk to the Beat – Big funky carnival band at Writers’ Square
2.00pm: Parade sets off from Writers’ Square / Donegall Street
2.30pm: Carnival music and performance in City Centre
3.00pm: Carnival Parade enters Custom House Square
Carnival Party (Custom House Square 12 – 5.30pm)
Custom House Square will be transformed into the Carnival Party Zone with music and entertainment all afternoon, finishing with a musical bang when the Carnival Supergroup blasts off at 4.50pm.
Carnival Music Stage from 12 noon
Love Music Hate Racism and Homely Planet Radio are programming the Carnival Music Stage for the first half of the afternoon.
Three top live acts are featured:
12.00pm: The Jane Bradfords
1.00pm: Ruby Colley
2.00pm: The Afresh
Mid way through the afternoon, the Space Paraders will arrive to a themed soundtrack of music from the Stage decks. Then the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra, the Carnival Drummers and St Malachy’s PS bodhran players, play a short drum and music set, leading into a new drum and dance performance from Beat’n’Drum.
4.15pm: The volume steps up another notch with Funk to The Beat.
4.50pm: The Carnival Supergroup, featuring musicians from some of our best contemporary bands, will bring the programme to a climax with a set of space songs known and loved by us all.
More Carnival Party Entertainment through the Afternoon
Urban Arts will erect a live graffiti stage and there will be opportunity to try digital music making in Wheelworks’ Art Cart. The Baron Carousels and That Man will entertain with circus performance. Salsa Caliente and the Chinese Lion Dancers will be dancing the afternoon away with colourful and spectacular displays. There will be Bikram Yoga, henna painting and Chinese calligraphy with ArtsEkta. Food vendors will be on site.
Due to the change of venue, there will be no two for one deal on the Belfast Wheel and no space information display.
