Belfast takes the crown as UNESCO City of Music

Northern Ireland’s capital has been awarded the prestigious title UNESCO City of Music. This is the third UK location to be awarded this status, with Liverpool and Glasgow before them.

The UNESCO title is for locations that are recognised for their musical history, their capability of hosting events of stature such as festivals, concerts of national and international profile, and their dedication to musical education. While also demonstrating they cater for all music genres.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast had this to say about the new status:

“Belfast is proud of its music culture. Creativity and resilience are in the very fabric of our city and our people. Last April, we launched a ten-year cultural strategy that will see a Year of Culture in 2024. The UNESCO accolade is the perfect way to kickstart these plans, much of which revolves around music,”

The status has resulted in a host of high-profile events being promised, plus investment to improve the existing infrastructure and also progress the city’s music scene. The Belfast City Council found in a survey of 20,000 city residents that music was a recurring theme from the responses. This then prompted the city council to include the bid as part of their plan to improve the city’s infrastructure.

The bid for UNESCO status was backed by Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol and composer Hannah Peel, resulting in both being made official Belfast Music patrons.