| The Belfast Festival started out in the 1960s as a | | | | Although the 2007 festival was threatened by a |
| small campus event held at Queen's University in | | | | scarcity in funding, organizers were able to |
| Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was organized by a | | | | celebrate its 45th year and once again were able |
| young student named Michael Emerson. From then | | | | to secure the festival's reputation for bringing out |
| on, it continued to earn acclaim that after ten | | | | the best that the UK culture has to offer. |
| years it started to attract eminent personalities | | | | The government awarded the organizers a |
| such as Jimi Hendrix, Dizzy Gillespie, Laurence | | | | 150,000 pound grant to help cover expenses. The |
| Olivier and Ravi Shankar. | | | | Arts Minister, Edwin Poots also pledged a grant of |
| Amid the political upheaval of the 1970s the | | | | 300,000 pounds over the course of three years |
| Belfast Festival helped bring about progressive | | | | for the festival. Highlights from this year's |
| change in the cultural renaissance of the city, | | | | celebrations include Ute Lemper's cabaret |
| revitalizing its cultural and arts scene. In the 1980s, | | | | performance, music from the Tiger Lillies, an |
| Michael Barnes assumed directorship of the | | | | adaptation of Macbeth and a performance from |
| festival and it was during this time that the | | | | Raphael Bonachela- a choreographer who works |
| festival was expanded into a two-week long | | | | with Kylie Minogue. Other guests include John |
| celebration. Celebrities like Billy Connolly, Rowan | | | | Prine, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sean Hughes |
| Atkinson and Michael Palin took part in the | | | | and Bill Bailey. |
| festivities. | | | | Belfast Festival 2006 |
| The festival also started to feature performances | | | | The Spiegeltent, an art nouveau pavilion that |
| from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the | | | | showcased first-rate performances ranging from |
| Moscow State Ballet, among others. The festival | | | | global musical entertainment to comedy |
| is known for its staunch advocacy of local work, | | | | presentations was one of the main features of |
| paving the way for local artists and performers to | | | | this year's festival. Another highlight was the |
| be introduced and be recognized by the | | | | performance of Jose Cura, one of the world's |
| international community. | | | | leading tenors. In this year's festival, the |
| The festival brings together the best in theater, | | | | organizers also presented Crackers, a combination |
| classical music, comedy, visual arts, dance, folk | | | | of spectacular fireworks display and musicals as |
| and popular music, literature and jazz. Each year, | | | | well as other live performances. There were over |
| the festival features cultures from many different | | | | 15 participating countries in the festival including |
| countries like France, the United States and South | | | | Somalia, Sweden, Norway, United States, France, |
| Africa. | | | | Cuba, Spain, Argentina and Russia. |
| For 2008 the festival celebrates its 46th | | | | Belfast Festival 2005 |
| anniversary coinciding with the centennial | | | | This year's festival opened with a concert |
| celebration of Queen's University. It will | | | | featuring Marianne Faithful along with the Ulster |
| commence with the Ulster Bank Opening Concert | | | | Orchestra. Other noted performance was that of |
| on October 17. | | | | Lithuanian production of Romeo and Juliet, an |
| Highlights from past Belfast Festivals: | | | | adaptation of A Clockwork Orange and traditional |
| Belfast Festival 2007 | | | | Irish music from the band, Dervish. |