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Belfast Music Walking Tour
5.0
1 Rating
Belfast
Discover Belfast's vibrant music scene with a specialist guide. Explore diverse genres, iconic venues, and end at the Oh Yeah Music Centre.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Ulster Hall - Gain special entry to visit a Victorian Music Hall, hear about some of the great gigs and concerts that have taken place here; enjoy its architecture, and see ‘behind the scenes’ to exit through the stage door artists use.
- City Hall - Enjoy the splendid architecture and grounds of Belfast City Hall, and hear fascinating stories about some of the historic gigs that have taken place on the grounds. Hear about the City’s Music Ambassadors, appointed since it became a UNESCO City of Music and cities it is twinned with around the world. Hear clips of music by the ambassadors and the only musician to be awarded the honor of Freedom of the City.
- Queen’s Arcade, Belfast - View one of the oldest buildings on the street (1791) and hear of the times it contained a dance hall up to the 1950s. Hear music from a Belfast blues and jazz legend of the 50s and her story.
- 2 Royal Avenue - Opened as an impressive bank in the 1860s, the group visits a new cultural center in Belfast, hearing what takes place here and about what it means for Belfast to be one of 60 UNESCO cities of Music worldwide.
- Kelly’s Cellars - The group visits one of the oldest pubs in Belfast, 1720, to hear about Irish Traditional Music and its links with this part of the city. Folk and traditional music by several of the city’s rising stars is played.
- First Presbyterian Church - The group visits the oldest church building in Belfast. Seated inside they hear about the Ulster Scots heritage, harp music, choirs, and NI Opera, with tracks played.
- Assembly Rooms Belfast - The guide shares the story of how this oldest public building, 1769, was the location for an important music festival in 1792, playing music tracks
- Berts Jazz Bar - Looking at Bert’s Jazz Bar, the group heard about the jazz scene in Belfast and some of its past and present stars
- Customs House - In this open-air square guests hear about a range of annual outdoor music festivals that take place here and nearby, including the electronic music scene and some of the city’s best-known DJs and composers
- Discover Ulster-Scots Centre - Guests see the city’s museum and information center focused on the Ulster-Scots heritage. They hear about the Lambeg drum, marching bands, and the most successful musicians to emerge from this scene, including flutist Sir James Galway.
- Cathedral Quarter Belfast - At several stops in the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast’s buzzing cultural area, guests hear about the punk scene of the late 70s and today, see where Snow Patrol first performed in Belfast, see several cool contemporary music venues and a popular recording studio, with a link to history in its unusual name!
- Oh Yeah Music Centre - The tour includes a visit to Belfast’s contemporary music scene hub. Hear how it was set up, the festivals, talent development, and all-ages music support programs it runs, plus the annual NI Music Prize. Guests are guided around the NI Music Exhibition housed there and some tours include a private performance by a local rising star!
What's Included
- Professional and qualified guide
- Access to hard to find places
What's Not Included
- gratuities
Additional Information
Come and explore the sights and sounds of a vibrant music city with a specialist music guide and musician! Belfast is the only city on the island of Ireland to have gained the status of UNESCO City of Music.
This fun walking tour is the only tour to cover a wide range of music genres - from folk and pop to punk, and from classical and hip hop to jazz and lots more! Guests will enjoy a special tour playlist along the way.
You will see some cool music venues, including traditional bars and clubs, historic buildings, open air performance spaces and even a church. Your knowledgeable and passionate guide, Dolores, will share stories about iconic music moments, and many of Belfast’s best-known musicians, including Van Morison, Gary Moore, Ruby Murray and Snow Patrol.
The tour ends with a visit to the city’s contemporary music hub, the Oh Yeah Music Centre, where you will be shown around its NI Music Exhibition.
Location
Ulster Hall
Bedford Street
Please gather five minutes before the tour start time, outside the front door of the Ulster Hall, 34 Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7FF. Meet under the glass covered porch. Your guide will be there wearing a black cap.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(1 Rating)
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Meander60251968454
Apr 14, 2024
Belfast Has the Reason! - I took the Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour-can't recommend it enough. You don't need to know anything about Belfast's music scene but I went in with some background and still got tons of great info& learned so much because the tour was given by someone who was there-the lovely Delores-who not only uses her personal insight and connections to enrich the tour but plenty of research as well.
The walking is easy (I have a bad knee that didn't play up at all), well-paced and we stopped to rest for a drink, a break& convo. Dolores creates a great environment so this was an absolute pleasure rather than a pause in action.
You get a look in to the history but also the present state of Belfast's collectives& music scenes. You get a sense of the city itself-how it looked then, what used to be and what's taking shape/being built up now. Many of the stops we made were at places I immediately put on my list to revisit; 2.5 hrs flew by.
Music was played, bands were referenced and we were given cards with Spotify lists so we could keep listening.
Will definitely take others on this tour, keep recommending and hope to take another tour with Creative Tours Belfast next time I'm town:)
Review provided by Tripadvisor