Belfast Music Walking Tour
Come explore a vibrant UNESCO City of Music!
Take this leisurely, guided stroll around Belfast to discover how alive with music Belfast is. Cirom hip hop to classical and punk; opera to folk and electronic - and everything in between. You'll have good 'craic', meet many music 'legends' of Belfast, through entertaining stories. Plus, a music soundtrack will be played at each stop along the way. The tour will end with a visit to to the Oh Yeah Music Centre to see the Music Exhibition there. Many tours include a performance by a local musician.
Book tickets here from Visit Belfast
Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour
Saturdays 13 and 20 May 2023, 10.30 am and 4.30pm
Delivered in association with The Lyric Theatre’s musical production of ‘Good Vibrations’ at the Grand Opera House, come explore the story of punk music in Belfast on this walking tour!
Since bands like The Outcasts, Rudi, Stiff Little Fingers, Ruefrex and Victim erupted onto the scene in Belfast back in the late 1970s, Belfast punk has held a special place in music history, near and far.
On the walk, you will explore legendary sites in Belfast’s 1970s punk story, including where the Good Vibrations record shop first opened, the Harp Bar and The Pound. You will also visit the city’s music hub, the Oh Yeah Music Centre, for a guided look around the fascinating punk memorabilia and artefacts in the display cabinets of its NI Music exhibition. Your guide will paint a picture of a night out in Hill Street back in 1979, sharing her own stories of punk gigs back then - as well as introducing you to a few of the excellent punk bands performing today.
A soundtrack of punk music will be played at each stop, including ‘70s tracks by Rudi, The Outcasts, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones and more, as well as tracks by contemporary punk-linked bands such as Wood Burning Savages, Problem Patterns and Cherym.
The ‘Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour’ will take place on Saturday 13 and 20 May, coinciding with the Lyric Theatre’s staged musical production of ‘Good Vibrations’ at the Grand Opera House. The two-hour tours will run twice on both Saturdays at 10.30am and 4.30pm. If you’re heading to see the ‘Good Vibrations’ production, this walking tour offers a great opportunity to see many of the places in Belfast where the action took place, with a guide who was a passionate music fan back then - and still is!
Practical Details:
Meet outside the Grand Opera House, at the old entrance doors below the Grand Circle Bar balcony.
On the tour you will walk about two miles, on level ground, though with a few cobbled streets.
The tour will take place, whatever the weather, so please come prepared! Arrive at the meeting place five minutes before the start time.
Book tickets here from Visit Belfast: https://visitbelfast.com/event/belfast-punk-music-walking-tour/
PRIVATE TOURS
Creative Tours Belfast can also organise a two-hour walking tour, half-day or full-day experiences around what you want to see and do in Belfast. Let us arrange for you a bespoke walk, whether you are on your own, a couple, a family or small group. We can also arrange a visit to an attraction and book tickets for a show or gig that you would love. If you have a coach group, we can also provide a professional step-on guiding service.
Any of the walking tours listed below can be booked at a competitive rate for your group.
EMAIL for further information or to arrange to discuss your requirements: creativetoursbelfast@gmail.com
- Belfast Music Walking Tour (all genres of music explored and many venues across the city)
- Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour (70s punk sites featured in the Good Vibrations film and punk today)
- Belfast City Highlights (Cathedral Quarter, city centre historic entries, pubs, music and art)
- Introducing Belfast Tour (city centre)
- The Merchants Who Grew a City (Belfast's industrial heritage)
- Queen's Quarter Tour (Queen's University, Botanic Park, Ulster Museum + Botanic)
- Cathedral Quarter Arts Trail (sculptures, street art, written word, music)
- Titanic Trail (Titanic Memorial Gardens City Hall, SS Nomadic, Titanic Slipways, Thompson Dock)
Your Tour Guide
Dolores Vischer has lived in Belfast for most of her life and loves to show visitors why she is passionate about this special place. She is a qualified Belfast ‘Green Badge’ Tourist Guide, holding an internationally-recognised tour guiding qualification that is awarded by the UK-wide Institute of Tourist Guiding. She is also a member of the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association.
Dolores holds a Masters’ Degree from the University of St Andrews in English Language and Literature. Alongside her tour guiding interest, her career has encompassed working in London and then back in Northern Ireland in the book, magazine and newspaper publishing fields as an editor, journalist and director, and as a communications and event management consultant.
Dolores is passionate about the arts in Belfast, especially music. She plays drums and sings, has performed in bands, helped to run Girls Rock School Northern Ireland and is currently a member of the OTH Music Collective.
For all enquiries and bookings please call +44 7305754028 or email creativetoursbelfast@gmail.com