• Event
• 15 Sep 12:00 pm

Open Botanic Festival 2024

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The Open Botanic Festival 2024 will create an inclusive, car-free space, bringing all the communities of the area together on this busy thoroughfare from noon to 4pm on Sunday, 15th September. This grassroots community-led festival organised by Forward South Partnership unites the many communities, individuals, businesses, charities and organisations that make Botanic Avenue one of the most dynamic parts of the city.

This year’s themes, Playful Streets and Creating Space, aim to showcase the incredible work going on behind the scenes to improve places to play, to move, to breathe and to grow, in this area.

Briege Arthurs, Chief Executive of Forward South Partnership, said: “Belfast is changing and we want to make sure that no one gets left behind. This is a festival for people who live, work and play in the area, both for those who have been here for generations and those that now call South Belfast home.”

This is the third year of this community-led festival with last year’s event attracting more than 2,000 people. Forward South and Queen’s University Belfast have been working with local community groups including Donegall Pass Parents, Botanic Meadows, Sandy Row Parents, Holy Rosary P5, Donegall Pass Garden and Anaka Women’s Collective to design the festival, including the creation of ‘community kiosks’ showcasing what the areas around Botanic have to offer.

Agustina Martire, who teaches architecture at Queen’s, said: ‘The work of our team of students with the community groups shows that what everyone wants is a street where people of all ages can enjoy space, food, chats and fun. We imagine a future where Botanic Avenue can be that place for everyone every day.’

Open Botanic is an inclusive festival and by closing the road to cars, it opens it up to people to spend time together, to enhance the sense of community ownership and to foster connections in a relaxed, joyful setting.

All activities will be free and will include street performers such as acrobats, live music, street games, crafts, children’s activities, drop-in workshops, food from different cultures, street dance, urban gardening skills and wellbeing and mindfulness sessions.

Open Botanic has woven together so much of Forward South Partnership’s ongoing and painstaking work connecting communities across South Belfast by having difficult conversations and generating potential solutions as a community, bridging health gaps and wellbeing services and involving communities in people-led regeneration.

Briege Arthurs added: “We love the idea of ‘Playful Streets’ and creating space for people to come together, try new things, for children to play safely, learn something new, taste new food and sample cultures. We see Open Botanic as a pioneering project, re-imagining what our city streets could look and feel like. We know how important and powerful imagination and gathering as community are for moving through challenging times.”

The festival, organised by Forward South Partnership, is run in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast Architecture and Planning. Open Botanic is supported by Belfast City Council Festivals’ Fund, the Housing Executive, UKRI – Arts and Humanities Research Council, Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility at Queen’s, Ormeau Business Park and the Department for Communities and The Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme with delivery through Radius, Apex, and Ark Housing Associations.

The Open Botanic Event is supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme. The Programme has its origins in the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society. Over £13.6 million has been invested in three shared housing developments and associated five-year Good Relations Plans in Belfast.

For further information on the festival go to www.forwardsouth.org or to their social media: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @forwardsouthpartnership #OpenBotanic24

EVENT ADDRESS

Botanic Avenue

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