BELFAST INSIDER

Hello Insider 👋

Hope you’re keeping well.

It’s the edition before the May Bank Holiday, and Belfast looks more than ready for it. The events calendar is packed.

We were out and about last Saturday, and the energy was hard to miss. City Centre and Dublin Road were buzzing. People sitting outside, drinks in hand, making the most of the sunshine.

Aside from the sad incident at Dunmurry, it’s starting to feel like summer has properly arrived in the city.

Here’s everything worth knowing happening in Belfast this week.

LET’S STEP INSIDE →

THE DIGEST: Belfast in Brief

Only the good news. Promise.

🏡NI’s Best Place to Work From Home? It’s Not Belfast

You know that assumption that Belfast tops every list?
Not this time.

New research from broadband provider Fibrus has named Limavady as the best place in Northern Ireland to work from home. The north-west town beats the capital on connectivity, affordability, and lifestyle.

With 95% ultrafast broadband coverage, average three-bed homes around £166k, and strong access to green space, smaller towns are becoming serious alternatives to city living. Newtownabbey also made the top five.

Remote work isn’t just about changing jobs. It’s reshaping where people choose to live.

This reinforces something we touched on recently. Your postcode matters more than you think.

Would you ever leave Belfast for a quieter time if your job allowed it?

Source: Belfast Live.

🏙️Cathedral Quarter Is Getting a Proper Glow-Up

Some of Belfast’s most historic streets are about to change.

Belfast City Council has approved new master plans for the Cathedral Quarter and Sailortown, with a stronger focus on heritage, placemaking, and how people use the space.

In the same move, Common Market secured permanent approval, turning a once-temporary street food concept into a long-term fixture. Meanwhile, Cathedral Gardens is already experimenting with large-scale visual hoarding to make construction sites part of the city experience.

Cities don’t change overnight. They evolve through small, compounding decisions like this.

What’s one thing you’d love to see added to the Cathedral Quarter?

⚽Rio Ferdinand Just Launched a Youth Academy in North Belfast

Something significant just launched in North Belfast.

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation has opened a new PEACE Academy at Girdwood, backed by over £1 million in funding.

The programme will support young people aged 14 to 21 through sport, music, and creative training, while also offering qualifications and pathways into employment across Belfast and Sligo.

This is a long-term investment in people. Not just activity. Actual opportunity.

What more opportunities should be available to young people in Northern Ireland?

Source: SEUPB.eu

🏪 LOCAL BUSINESS SCOOP

Photo by Tony Lee on Unsplash

This Greengrocer on Beersbridge Road Is Quietly Becoming a Local Favourite

If you’re around Beersbridge Road, there’s a small shop you’ve probably walked past without thinking twice.

Secret Market East isn’t trying to be flashy.
But it’s quickly building a reputation for doing the basics properly.

Fresh fruit. Proper veg. Mostly from local producers.

Customers keep mentioning the same thing.
Quality you can actually taste. From vibrant produce to unsprayed local strawberries that people are calling some of the best they’ve had.

And then there’s the small details.
Friendly service. A well-laid-out space. The kind of place where you don’t feel rushed.

One standout is the fresh apple juice. Simple, but memorable.

Not every great food spot in Belfast is a café or restaurant.
Places like this quietly shape how people shop and eat every day.

📍355 Beersbridge Road | 📲 @Secretmarket_east

What’s the most underrated local food shop in your area?

P.S. Run a local business? Reply and tell us. We’d love to feature you.

Your Weekend Lineup

🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING:

Your guide to what’s on across Belfast & Northern Ireland

The May Bank Holiday weekend is here, and Belfast is ready.

From city-wide festivals to late-night events, something is happening in almost every corner. Whether you’re planning ahead or just seeing where the weekend takes you, here are a few worth knowing.