Full list of events approved for Belfast Parks this Autumn including intimate Tropical Ravine gig
A whole host of events will take place across the city from music and fun runs to remembrance events
A series of events have been approved for Belfast parks this Autumn and Winter, including an intimate gig at the Tropical Ravine, a cycling race at the Falls and a week of remembrance at Newtownards Road.
During a committee meeting at Belfast City Council, elected members approved events at Falls Park, Belmont Park, the Botanic Gardens Tropical Ravine, and Pitt Park. Councillors unanimously approved all the events at the September meeting of the People and Communities Committee at City Hall.
Monday November 3 to Tuesday November 11 will see the "Row on Row Remembrance 2025" event, at Pitt Park, Newtownards Road. The council approved a request from the Pitt Park Residents Association to host a week’s remembrance event “for local residents to honour and commemorate those who have lost their lives in defence of the nation.”
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Local residents will place personal tributes such as poppy crosses or wreaths in memory of fallen relatives. There will be a daily remembrance service at the site, scheduled to take place from 7pm to 8pm. The council committee report on the matter states: “The event organiser has confirmed that all displays and materials associated with the commemoration will be respectfully removed from the site upon conclusion of the event.”
Factory 61 will host “Sound of Belfast and The Factory Sessions” in Botanic Gardens Tropical Ravine on Thursday November 6.
The event, which will take place outside normal park and Tropical Ravine opening hours, is a music gig for local up-and-coming artists and is designed to be a unique and intimate experience, for a maximum of 120 people. There will be a charge of between £10-15 per ticket.
Factory 61 was originally set up in collaboration with South Regional college to create a pathway for students into the music industry. Their aim is to “incubate upcoming talent in the local area by offering professional music and audio services while helping artists create a career in music.”
Saturday and Sunday, October 11 to 12, will see Falling Leaves Irish National League Race at Falls Park, brought by VC Glendale. The event organiser VC Glendale are a voluntary cycling club who are established as a cross community cycling club, with members taking part in races across Britain and Ireland.
The Falling Leaves event has taken place at Falls Park for the last nine years. Due to the nature of the event, areas of the park will be required to be closed off to members of the public to allow the race to proceed safely and to ensure that no park users or participants are injured.
There are expected to be around 500 people in attendance with participants and spectators attending from across Ireland and Britain. The areas of the site the organisers plan to use are the grassed area beside the playground leading to the woodland area beside the cemetery, followed by the pathed area along the side of the Falls Road and across the bridge leading to the pitches. Participants will cycle around the entirety of the park's pitched area.
The council also approved the CIYMS Boxing Day Fun Run, by Orange Grove Athletics Club, at Belmont Park on Friday December 26. The fun run has been running for 40 years and this is the third year it will be hosted by Orange Grove Athletics club.
The event is aimed at raising money for Northern Ireland Hospice with the entrance fee being £10 per person. Participants are encouraged to come in fancy dress with prizes being awarded to the best entrants.
The number of entrants will be capped at 250 to safely accommodate all runners. The entrance fee will be used to cover the costs for hosting the event and first aid with all remaining funds being donated to the NI Hospice.
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