Belfast Maritime Festival Brings Local Flavours to the Waterfront

Visitors to this year’s Belfast Maritime Festival on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September will be treated to a new quay-side Artisan Producers Market, championing the very best of Northern Ireland’s food scene.

New to the festival programme this year is ‘Slipways Street Food and Sounds’, an exciting initiative that will bring together live entertainment, music and street food, and an Artisan Producers Market, shining a spotlight on producers from across the region. The Market is being supported by funding secured by Maritime Belfast Trust from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) through the NI Regional Food Programme.

From freshly baked goods to sustainably sourced seafood, handcrafted jams, spirits and sweet treats, festivalgoers will be able to meet the makers, hear their stories and experience first-hand the innovation, craft and love that goes into every product- from field to fork or dock to dish.

The Market will also host a series of interactive experiences, including Lough Neagh Fishman’s Co-operative and Ben Vista Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture pilot.

The Artisan Producers Market will be complimented by the Street Food Market, with vendors serving up freshly prepared dishes made with NI sourced food, and a jam-packed music programme, featuring local and international artists, including Joshua Burnside, The High Kings and an evening ticketed performance by Hothouse Flowers.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly said “Belfast City Council is delighted to have support from DAERA for the Belfast Maritime Festival’s Artisan Producers Market.
Championing Belfast’s authentic food and drink offering is a key priority in our 10-year tourism plan and local produce is a unique selling point for our city.
It strengthens our local economy and showcases the incredible quality of our homegrown ingredients that visitors will get to sample over this year’s festival.”

Maeve Moreland, Destination Experience Manager at Maritime Belfast Trust, said
“The Belfast Maritime Festival continues to grow as one of the city’s signature events, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. This year, we are building on the success by offering even more for festivalgoers, with the Artisan Producers Market as an exciting new addition. Thanks to support from DAERA, we can showcase the talent, quality and sustainability of our local food producers while creating a vibrant experience along our waterfront. The 2025 festival promises to be its most exciting yet with local food and drink firmly on the menu.”

Robert Hull from DAERA’s NI Regional Food Programme said, “DAERA is delighted to be actively involved in supporting our Agri-Food industry by promoting high quality and award-winning local produce at Belfast Maritime Festival. This support from the NI Regional Food Programme, will enable people visiting the festival from near and far, to sample freshly prepared, high quality street food. The artisan producers’ market will also provide the perfect opportunity for festival goers to taste, shop and support local”.

In addition to Slipways Street Food and Sounds, visitors can enjoy a wide range of activities across the Maritime Mile including tall ships, kid’s zones, live street theatre, music performances, family zones, hands-on maritime-themed activities and a ticketed evening performance by the Hothouse Flowers.

For the full festival programme click here