4 Corners Festival

Themes are selected each year to reflect the context of delivery and facilitate engagement with topical issues. Previous themes have included ‘The Art Of Listening’, ‘Our Wounded and Wonderful City’, ‘Scandalous Forgiveness’, ‘Building A City Of Grace’, ‘Common Ground, Common Good’, ‘Dreams… Visions For Belfast’ and ‘Our Stories… Towards A Culture Of Hope’. The programme is designed to incorporate a variety of artforms and discussion events and engage people from a range of backgrounds. Popular staple events include the ‘In Conversation’ event with a musician, the Wonderful Wander walking tour which explores a different area of Belfast each year, Knitting 4 Corners Together craft and social action gathering and the opening Sunday evening theological talk. Other events include art exhibitions, drama, poetry, panel discussions, prayer gatherings and film screenings.

Events are held in churches and other shared spaces across the city with venues selected to represent a range of denominations and geographical areas. A speaker from one denomination is often invited to participate in an event held in a venue of another denomination, breaking down barriers and promoting community cohesion. For example during the Festival’s 10th anniversary programme Pope Francis provided a video message to be relayed in St Anne’s Cathedral on the opening Sunday while Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke at the closing event in St Peter’s Cathedral. The Festival attracts local and international contributors who have a relevant message for the city of Belfast as its people seek to build a brighter shared future. Artists and speakers who have taken part include Gary Lightbody, Colin Davidson, Dana Masters, Fr Greg Boyle, Carl Frampton, Duke Special, Sue Divin, John Paul Lederach, Ruth McGinley and Damian Gorman.

Youth activities are an important strand of the festival’s programme and are often delivered in partnership with organisations who share the Festival’s values and aim to provide young people with opportunities for cross-community engagement and equip them with the skills to contribute positively to a shared society. Long-term partners include Peace Players NI, Ulster University and Play It By Ear drama company. Youth activities include schools’ drama projects, sports and community relations sessions, social action afternoons, discussion events and cross-community skills development gatherings. Each event is delivered to a targeted age-group ranging from primary school to those soon to leave school education. The programme also features an annual lunchtime discussion for university students. Festival attendance has increased over the years. In 2021, as a result of the pandemic, the Festival consisted of online-only events. Since then it has been delivered in a hybrid format with streaming and online content complementing live in-person events. This online content has increased engagement with Belfast citizens currently living elsewhere and with those who are unable to attend in-person due to health or caring responsibilities. The Festival’s online output also attracts viewers from further afield including students and personnel from American universities who maintain an interest in the Northern Ireland peace process. In addition to recordings of events, the Festival’s online content includes resources such as the digital book Soothing Breath which responds to the issue of domestic abuse; young participants’ short stories; online art exhibits and youth resilience resources. In 2020 the Festival published the printed poetry book ‘Building A City Of Grace’, a collection of poems by established poets, directors and friends of the 4 Corners Festival, and some year 14 students who participated in the 2020 festival, together with photographs of the city by Philip McCrea.

We have received positive feedback that as a result of attending the festival, people are attending venues for the first time, socialising with people they would otherwise be unlikely to come into contact with and being encouraged to look at community relations issues with a fresh perspective. The majority of survey respondents felt comfortable attending a Festival event in a shared space/ space they would not traditionally visit; that their knowledge of cultural traditions/backgrounds increased following attendance and that their attitude towards people of a different religious background improved. Most agreed that the event played a positive role in bringing people from different backgrounds together and that it made them feel more connected with others. In the longer term, by encouraging people to attend shared spaces in Belfast that they haven’t previously or wouldn’t normally visit, we hope to increase their familiarity and level of comfort in such spaces and promote increased attendance at these venues and a sense of shared ownership of the city. By challenging individual and community attitudes toward peace-building and community we hope to stimulate ongoing transformation of the city. Events provide opportunities for discussion and consideration of community issues, encouraging improved understanding and respect through the sharing of stories in safe spaces. By connecting people of different backgrounds and traditions we are creating opportunities for long-term social, working and networking relationships. Many attendees return to the Festival on an annual basis and maintain contact with those they meet at events.

Lead creatives