Cathedral Quarter

History and modern clash here in the Cathedral Quarter which is in the shadow of Belfast's Saint Anne's Cathedral. I spent most of my time along Hill Street but there's more. The narrow cobblestone alleyways are lined with classic pubs, fashionable bars and a spectrum of restaurants for different tastes and budgets. Many of the walls here are covered with street art, either sanctioned or unsanctioned. This makes for a colorful (colourful?) tour as you stumble from one drinking establishment to the next. Thankfully, my hotel was not too far away from Hill Street so I didn't have to stumble too far after enjoying drinks in the Dirty Onion and the Dark Horse the Garrick bar and the Duke of York. Lots of traditional Irish music, some whiskey, some Guinness and more. Don't miss the Yardbird which smelled amazing with their rotisserie chicken cooking. [Review 1994 of 2024 - 896 in United Kingdom - 23016 overall]

It has become a trend of modern times to quarter off cities into distinct areas. A technique to improve the tourist experience and enhance city environments for locals. Some commentators criticise this, pointing to gentrification as a side effect of such urban planning. However, Belfast as a city emerging from decades of turmoil due to The Troubles, needed urban improvement more than any other UK city. The Cathedral Quarter has given Belfast an area to be proud of and I personally think it's brilliant. With cobbled streets, the continental feel of St Anne's Square, street art, The MAC, Black Box, Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast Print Workshop, Duke of York, 2Taps, Coppi, The Merchant and many more pubs, restaurants, independent shops and galleries the Cathedral Quarter brings a long awaited vibrancy to Belfast. It's my favourite area in Belfast to hang out and relax with friends and family. An area buzzing with people, music and culture which makes me proud of my city. Also don't miss it on Culture Night which is an event occurring annually in September. On this one night, the best night of the year for Culture Vultures, Cathedral Quarter abounds with live art, music, performance, dance, fire, colour and entertainment that will make you glad to be alive. You would be a fool to miss it - and bring the kids as it's family friendly up until 9pm.

The Cathedral Quarter represents new Belfast, it is a cultural epicentre of an emerging European city. I absolutely love everything about this area of Belfast, it is traditional yet modern and sophisticated, if I was showing someone visiting Northern Ireland the best of Belfast I would take them to the Cathedral Quarter and I would more than likely be able to treat them to some sort of entertainment. This is because the Cathedral Quarter has hosted just about everything that it could have in the summer of 2010. The beauty of this place is that there is an open square to host events such as the Open House festival or Belsonic, yet when the square is not occupied the area does not feel that it is lacking something. It is complete. If you are visiting Belfast get yourself to the Cathedral Quarter you will not be stuck for enetertainment or something to nourish your soul!

What a fantastic area to have Culture Night. Lots of bars and restaurants, great Carhedral, amazing buzz about the place. Lots of art, music, performances, food- vegetarian Indian food courtesy of ISKCON which was extremely tasty and free!!!! Lots of effort put into it by organisers, participants for all of us......a real renaissance and rejuvenated area worth spending time in and exploring!!

With the end of the Troubles, Belfast was able to think about a bit of proper regeneration, and the most successful example of this is the Cathedral Quarter. Now, it was always the home of the gay scene and this is how a city works. You get the gays, then you get the artists, then you get the hipsters. That's what we have now, and I for one, love it! The area has really stepped up in the last 5 years or so, with the arrival of such landmark buildings as the Merchant Hotel and the rise of pubs such as the Duke of York. It's a hot bed of culture as well, with places like the Golden Thread Gallery, the Black Box and the Belfast Film Festival situated there as well. The place itself also has a bit of character about it, since it's all cobbled streets and alleyways. The Cathedral Quarter is essentially Belfast's best side, and I think it's doing us proud.

For me, Cathedral quarter represents the fun, cool, trendy and cultural area of Belfast. All the creative places that are doing something to contribute to Belfast's vibrant arts scene or bars that something extra vibe going on are all housed in this area. There's the excellent Black Box, which is home to all things arty, The Oh Yeah Centre, The Duke of York round the corner and The Spaniard too. If you walk through here at the weekends there are always groups of people spilling out onto the streets having a merry old time. It's a great place for tourists looking to see new Belfast to have a wander through the cobbled streets and lane ways and take in Belfast's sights.

The streets of Cathedral Quarter are where Belfast was born. Used many moons ago as the shipbuilding and linen traders alleys and entries for easy access around the city, Cathedral Quarter is now a hub of arts, culture and nightlife entertainment in the city centre. There are a number of businesses such as pubs, clubs, galleries, workshops, hotels and restaurants which the public are free to browse at their discretion. It's a lively, energetic area of the city which embraces the craic and banter Belfast is famous for. The area is home to Custom House Square which is used for a range of events including; CQAF, Gay Pride, the Belsonic festival and the Open House Festival which is coming up soon, this is home to Northern Ireland's chilli fest! Spicy! It's also home to the art college in Belfast, The Oh Yea Music Centre and Belfast Print Workshop. It's the location of Belfast's most prestigious hotel; The Merchant. The MAC is also being built here which will be Belfast's best and newest new home to the arts which is due to open in 2011. As you can see, a thriving and exciting area which is repeatedly going through new and inspiring changes. A must see for visitors and locals like. You'll have a great time wherever you are around Cathedral Quarter!

The Cathedral Quarter is now Belfast's epicentre of culture, food and drink and it's the place anyone visiting should go to see the amazing amount of work and progress that's going on here. Besides the multitude of bars such as The Spaniard, The John Hewitt, The Duke of York and The Merchant (each offering their own different take on an Irish bar, new and old, with varying degrees of success) There are an awful lot of festivals around the area throughout the year, notably the upcoming Cathedral Arts festival. The Black Box is another little treasure trove of fantastical art, music and freshly made pizza. If you are reading this and you're a tourist wanting to grab a little bit of modern culture in a city getting itself out of a sticky situation. It's a superb little area in the heart of the city.