Visitors can expect an unmissable mix of live DJ sets from Bang Bike, carnival beats from Beat Carnival, street performers, and dockside drinks by local bar Seatons of Sailortown.<\/p>\n The trader line-up is packed with standouts: Oui Poutine, Knead Pizza, and Carolyn Stewart\u2019s Totally Hot NI, founded by Sailortown\u2019s own radio legend, brings the heat. Alongside them, a curated selection of handmade art, food, fashion, and gifts will keep browsers busy all night long.<\/p>\n Festival organiser Maeve O\u2019Connor, Sailortown Regeneration said\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a real privilege to organise the Sailortown Festival, which has grown over the past four years. It\u2019s wonderful to see the area come to life with culture, creativity, and community spirit. We\u2019re very grateful for the ongoing support of Belfast Harbour, Belfast Maritime Trust, and Belfast City Council, their backing has been instrumental in helping the festival evolve and thrive. We are especially excited to bring our first ever night market which brings something entirely new to the local scene. From Bangkok to Berlin, night markets are vibrant social spaces where people gather to eat, drink, shop and soak up local culture. Now, Sailortown joins that global map<\/i>.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n It\u2019s full steam ahead on Saturday 21st June, with the Sailortown Speciality Market (11am\u20134pm). A relaxed daytime event where visitors can meet local makers, discover one-of-a-kind handmade goods, and enjoy live sets from some of Belfast\u2019s most beloved acts, including the genre blending brilliance of Belfast\u2019s The String Ninjas.<\/p>\n Just around the corner, St. Joseph\u2019s Church on Princes Dock Street becomes a cultural hub for the day. Hosting a series of musical workshops and the annual Sail Back to Sailortown event, a lively mix of jazz, poetry, and spoken word performances that honour the area’s rich heritage and talent.<\/p>\n Sunday 22nd June brings the festival to a joyful close with the Family Market (12pm\u20134pm), a playful afternoon packed with walkabout characters, a pooch parade, inflatables, street theatre, live music, and plenty of nautical fun for kids and families.<\/p>\n The Sailortown Festival reconnects people with Belfast’s first dockside village and the city’s maritime heritage. Bringing life to Belfast\u2019s historic docklands through celebration, creativity, and community spirit. It\u2019s community lead regeneration with soul, anchored in local pride and powered by cultural energy. The festival receives annual support from Belfast Harbour, Belfast Maritime Trust and Belfast City Council.<\/p>\n Speaking ahead of the Festival Jenni Barkley, Belfast Harbour said\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to support the Sailortown Festival and to see public space in Clarendon and City Quays brought to life in such a vibrant and inclusive way. Events like this link to our aim of animating the Maritime Mile and create opportunities for people to reconnect with the waterfront in new and exciting ways.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Commenting on the Festival\u00a0Maeve Moreland, Maritime Belfast Trust said \u201cWe\u2019re really pleased to continue our support for the Sailortown Festival. It\u2019s such a brilliant example of local people coming together to celebrate their own stories and bring this historic part of the city to life. Supporting events like this is a key part of how we animate the waterfront – creating shared experiences, championing local talent, and making sure the Maritime Mile is a place that feels alive for the people who live, work and visit here<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting there: From North Belfast, Festival entrances are located on Pilot Street and Princes Dock Street, and if coming from the city centre, it\u2019s just a 7-minute walk from the Big Fish through Clarendon Dock. Visitors are encouraged to travel by public transport or on foot, and are also invited to explore the brand-new City Quays Gardens beside the AC Marriott Hotel on their way.<\/p>\n Free entry all weekend Sailortown Festival Belfast is set to return this weekend with Northern Ireland\u2019s first-ever Night Market. Taking place from June 20th\u201322nd, the three-day festival event will feature music, markets, and maritime mischief, as well as food and entertainment, at various venues including Barrow Square in Clarendon Dock and St. Joseph’s Sailortown. Kicking things off on Friday … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24091,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24089\/revisions\/24091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Kicking things off on Friday night is Sailortown\u2019s first ever Night Market, an open-air evening experience inspired by the world\u2019s great market cities, the Night Market will run from 5pm\u201310pm on Friday 20th<\/sup>\u00a0June, transforming Barrow Square in Clarendon Dock into a buzzing festival of sound, flavour, and street culture.<\/p>\n
\nVisit\u00a0stjoessailortown.org<\/a>\u00a0and follow @stjoesbelfast and @nightmarketni for updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"