The annual 4 Corners Festival is back for another packed lineup of events next year.
The organising committee has announced its dates for 2025 and a new thought provoking theme HOME?
The festival, which will feature a range of art, music, discussion, sport and faith-inspired events, runs from January 31 to February 9, 2025 in venues across the city.
Now in its 13th year, the festival was conceived as a way to inspire people from across the city to transform it for the peace and wellbeing of all.
The 2025 4 Corners Festival is once again set to inspire connection, reflection and community through a dynamic lineup of events spanning a wide range of disciplines, such as art, music, discussion, sport and other activities.
Held throughout the city, this year’s programme revolves around the central theme of HOME?, an exploration of the complex and multifaceted idea of a place which holds both connection and disjointedness.
According to the organisers 2025’s theme of HOME? is deeply rooted in Scripture, offering a spiritual dimension to the conversation, with passages like Psalm 68:6 and Revelation 21:3 forming an inspiring foundation for many of the festival’s events.
Speaking on what the upcoming theme means for the organisation, Steve Stockman, 4 Corners Festival co-founder, identified that the focus is rooted in Belfast and its community.
He said: “Home is a powerful metaphor, used by poets, preachers, politicians and others seeking to paint a picture of a sense of belonging to a place.
“The idea is also used in various encouraging and challenging ways within the Old and New Testament scriptures, but not all homes are happy.
“From the beginning of the 4 Corners Festival we have aimed at encouraging people to get out of the physical corners of this city we call home, and to feel more at home in different parts of their own city; to realise that their home is bigger than they thought.
Fellow festival co-founder Father Martin Magill, hopes the theme of HOME? will bring awareness to the city’s residents, not just shedding light on the encouragement of tourists to the area.
Martin said: “The strapline for Belfast City Council’s current tourism strategy is ‘Make Yourself at Home’, with a laudable emphasis on inclusion.
“But what about those who already call Belfast their home – be they people whose families have lived here from before it became a city, to those who have settled here from all over the world for all kinds of reasons; those who rarely leave their corner of the city, to those who left it years ago but love to come ‘home’ for special events, including the 4 Corners Festival; those who live in a comfortable home in a vibrant community, to those who are some of the many unseen homeless in our city, not just those who sleep on our streets; those who know every nook and cranny of our city and its complex history, to those who feel uneasy with the direction that the city seems to be heading in the future?”
4 Corners Festival will encompass a wide variety of talks, discussions, practical workshops and more, spreading the word of local and global contextual issues across its ten day run.
Aimed at broadening perspectives and helping people to think about bigger issues, such as homelessness, the care of our common home, the earth, transport and accessibility within our home city, these heavy integral topics are interwoven together with lighthearted festivities like music, poetry, drama and the visual arts.
The event’s schedule of activities will also challenge attendees to step beyond the physical and psychological ‘corners’ of Belfast, discovering new parts of their city, fresh perspectives and meaningful connections.
4 Corners Festival has always sought to transform Belfast into a city of deeper connections and shared humanity, with part of the festival acting as a bridge to bring people together, facilitating a celebration of diversity and sparking essential conversations.
As always, all 4 Corners Festival events are free of charge, though advance booking is required and tickets will be available to book online via the website.
Reflecting on 4 Corners’ outreach and its intention, Father Magill added: “We want this festival to be a celebration of our home city.
“As ever, it is not an end in itself but seeks to highlight what is already happening in the 4 Corners of our city, and perhaps to initiate further creative conversations on how we might all contribute to making our home an even better place to live.”
4 Corners Festival is supported by The Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund, The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and Belfast City Council Good Relations Fund.
For more information about the festival and to keep up to date with programme updates go to 4cornersfestival.com