BELFAST INSIDER
Hello Insider, 👋
The Belfast Spring Market 2026 officially kicks off today, 21 May, at City Hall Gardens, and I hope you’re making plans to head down at some point this week.
Over 70 international vendors are expected to set up alongside local craft producers, artisans, and food vendors, so there should be enough going on to justify a few visits between now and Monday.
It’s a good excuse to get out of the house, meet new people, and support local businesses doing their thing.
Earlier this week, the King and Queen visited Northern Ireland for a three-day stay. Their schedule included a preview of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann coming to Belfast this August, alongside visits to cultural and community spaces across the region.
Here’s everything happening around the city this week. →
THE DIGEST: Belfast in Brief
👑 In Pictures: Royal Visit Across Belfast
The King and Queen’s visit managed to pack in traditional Irish music, whiskey tasting, community cinemas, schoolchildren, cultural musicians, a perfectly poured Guinness, and a Newcastle seagull with absolutely no respect for monarchy or ceremony.
Which honestly feels like a very accurate summary of Northern Ireland; a mix of formal stops and slightly chaotic moments in the same breath. Exactly the kind of contrast you come to expect from Belfast.
Captured moments from the visit across Belfast and beyond below.
What does a “proper Belfast welcome” actually include in your opinion?
🎓 Ballymena school ranked best for A-Levels in Northern Ireland
St Louis Grammar School in Ballymena has been ranked the top-performing school in Northern Ireland for A-Level results after 98% of pupils achieved three or more A*-C grades.
The school also confirmed that every pupil secured at least two A-Level passes, which is genuinely impressive when you think about the pressure young people are under these days.
Something is definitely refreshing about a positive education story cutting through for once. Somewhere across Ballymena this week, proud parents are definitely forwarding league tables into family WhatsApp groups.
Should we be giving more attention to stories like this, or is it just expected good news?
🔗Full story via Love Ballymena
⛳ Rory McIlroy now worth an estimated £325 million
Rory McIlroy has officially been named Northern Ireland’s richest person under 40 again, after his net worth reportedly climbed to £325 million following another huge year on and off the course.
That includes his Masters win earlier this year, nearly £5 million already earned from PGA Tour performances in 2026, plus major endorsement deals with brands like Nike and TaylorMade.
It is good to see a local name sitting comfortably in global sport conversations while some of us are still deciding if a second coffee is financially irresponsible.
Not bad for someone from Holywood.
Do stories like this make you see him as “one of ours” or just a global sports figure now?
🏪 LOCAL BUSINESS SCOOP
Openings, Closures & Buzz Around Town
👨🍳 Michelin-trained chef opens new Lisburn Road concept
After working in some of the world’s best restaurants, Nathan Sno could probably have opened this concept anywhere. Instead, he brought it back to Belfast.
Nathan Sno trained in more than 20 Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, including The French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park. He has now opened VINE on Lisburn Road.
Sno, who started as a dishwasher at 11, says his mum recently messaged him to remind him he had been talking about opening his own restaurant since he was 10. Some things are just meant to happen.
The concept is a build-your-own healthy bowl setup, but done with proper cooking behind it. Romesco salmon, turkey meatballs, green tahini, wholemeal mac and cheese. Familiar ingredients. Just treated properly.
He’s also been documenting the build on social media if you want to follow along
📍 408 Lisburn Road
Does Michelin experience actually influence where you eat, or is it just a marketing signal?
🏬 Vacant to Vibrant scheme reopens
Belfast City Council has reopened applications for its Vacant to Vibrant scheme, which turns empty buildings into active businesses again.
Think cafés, gyms, studios, tattoo shops, galleries, salons. The kind of places that change how a street feels when you walk down it.
The city centre scheme has helped bring 23 historic buildings back into use, including spaces now home to independent businesses like Bodega Bagels.
The first round outside the city centre supported 24 projects and created 83 jobs.
If you have been sitting on a business idea, market concept, studio, café or side hustle and keep saying “maybe someday”, this might genuinely be worth a look.
Applications are open again, and the matchmaker service closes for new requests tomorrow, 22 May.
Which empty building in Belfast would you bring back to life if you could?
🔗Full details: Belfast City Council
Your Weekend Lineup
🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Your guide to what’s on across Belfast & Northern Ireland
For everyone always asking what’s on in Belfast, this is the weekly curation of the best bits.
From big gigs and club nights to low-key Sunday plans that feel relaxing until you realise you’ve stayed out later than expected, something is happening in every corner of the city this week.
Thursday, May 21st
Friday, May 22nd
🎧Heated Rivalry Club | Limelight | 9:30 pm
Saturday, May 23rd
🤘BLACK PARADE - 00'S EMO ANTHEMS | The Belfast Empire Music Hall | 9:00 pm
💡LIGHT | The Belfast Empire Music Hall | 2:00 pm
🕺Back to the Stormont! GlamSlam | Stormont Hotel | 8:00 pm
🤠Jon Pardi - Honkytonk Hollywood tour | Waterfront Hall | 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 24th
🎶Music in the Parks | Various parks | 2:00 pm
Monday, May 25th
🎶 Rachel Galvo The Shite Feminist | Limelight 2 | 7:00 pm
Tuesday, May 26th
🎤SUGAR | Ulster Hall | 8:00 pm
Wednesday, May 27th
🎸THE LEMON TWIGS | The Belfast Empire Music Hall | 7:30 pm
Which one are you heading to?
💛 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
ArtsEkta: Fostering Unity Through Culture
Nearly 20 years ago, Dr Nisha Tandon set up ArtsEkta with a simple idea. Use culture as a way of bringing people together. It has grown into something much bigger, but still feels rooted in that original intention.
Most people know the Belfast Mela even if they don’t realise it’s theirs. It’s one of the largest cultural festivals on the island. Food, music, crowds moving through the city in that easy summer rhythm Belfast does surprisingly well.
This year marks its 20th anniversary. Beyond that, there are workshops in schools, creative programmes with refugees, supper clubs, and expansion into other cities.
It’s not loud work. It just steadily reshapes how people experience the city.
What’s the one Belfast event that actually brings people together properly for you?
🍽️ Foodie Finds
Beit Ward: Middle Eastern spot in Smithfield Market
A new Middle Eastern restaurant tucked behind Castle Court in Smithfield Market has been getting attention after TikToker Alex Huston dropped in.
There’s even a fountain inside, which feels unnecessary in a very specific and memorable way.
The menu leans into proper Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Hummus, manakish, falafel, kebabs, fresh salads. Everything made in house.
If you’ve been ignoring that corner of town, this is probably your cue to stop doing that.
Watch his review below.
@alexhuston.eats 🧆 Beit Ward in Smithfield Market #belfastfood #belfast #middleeasternfood @Beit Ward Belfast
Do you actively seek out hidden food spots or wait until they become popular?
💬 YOUR VOICE
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Belfast Insider is by people who live here, for people who live here.
No crime. No politics. Just the good craic.
See you next week.
Right. At’s us nai 👋
The Belfast Insider team.