I am obsessed with theatre, in a Glen Close crazy kinda way. I'm also a little shocked at the lack…read moreof attention being given to the lyric. It is internationally renowned, the starting ground for many careers (such as Liam Neeson) and one of the most wonderful theatres I've been to. Currently being refurbished, the new theatre will have three performance spaces. It's difficult to review this, considering I have no crystal ball, however the plans and drawings on the lyrics website for the new theatre look impressive. This is not a theatre to be intimidated by; the staff are incredibly friendly and the bar is, as far as I can remember, reasonably priced. It's a nice excuse to get dressed up, but if you don't, well that's OK too. Ticket prices are normally around £10, which I think is pretty reasonable. The most recent productions I've seen at the Lyric, have been The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Miser. The former being one of my favourite productions and moreover my long suffering boyfriend liked it; he has never liked anything he has seen at the theatre and normally leaves cursing what we've seen and cursing me! The Lyric remains my favourite theatre in Northern Ireland, for classic and contemporary plays, surprises and a great night.

Dana Masters originally from South Carolina, has made Lisburn and Northern Ireland her home. In…read more2012 herself and Linley Hamilton had a weekly Jazz residence in McHugh's basement bar. Being a huge fan of Jazz Music, I was privileged to be at the very first performance and was blown away by the talent of Dana and the other musicians. There is only a few vocalists that makes the back of my neck tingle when listening to them and that's what makes them special and world class. I looked forward to going every Saturday, close my eyes and enjoy the music. It did not feel like I was in Belfast at all. Sometimes I even had to pinch myself as I listened to the sublime weekly performance. The news soon spread and McHughs Jazz sessions soon had a cult following of faithful fans and at times you couldn't get into the basement for the amount of people. In 2014, I was not surprised that 11,000 at Proms in the Park were all talking about Dana as performance of the night. We've adopted Dana Masters as one of Northern Ireland's top vocalists. "Dana Masters is one of those musicians and not only were we able to relax and enjoy the richness of her undeniably flawless voice, we were also treated to a showcase of some of the finest Jazz instrumentalists in the UK & Ireland." Jude Malone, GiggingNI.com More than 350 music fans gave Dana Masters and her band a standing ovation at the Lyric Theatre Belfast on Monday night. The performance included the old Civil Rights anthem 'A Change is Gonna Come', dedicating it to her mother, a strong supporter of Martin Luther King. Dana was accompanied by Linley Hamilton on trumpet, Johnny Taylor on keyboards, Paul Hamilton on drums, , Dave Howell on saxophone, Paddy Groenland, lead guitar and Charlie Foley, bass guitar. One of my favourite songs was the cover of John Legend's Ordinary People . The band played all five of the tracks on the EP - Motherless Child, My Funny Valentine, Blue Moon, Like a Star by Corinne Bailey Rae, finishing the set with a beautiful version of Charlie Chaplin's Smile. This was an amazing showcase for N.Ireland's jazz scene.

I do love a good night out at the flicks, and if you are a fan of film this is the place to be!…read moreBelfast has plenty of options for watching the usual big budget fayre but for the more discerning viewer the QFT always has something on offer. I've cried at cartoons, laughed at documentaries and rocked out at the rockumentaries. You should also keep an eye out for their special events. Last week I saw the new Hockney documentary which included a live link up to the artist's studio in LA and was shown in tandem with 200 cinemas across the UK. It was awesome. I took my Dad who usually falls asleep within 15 mins of anything, and he was on the edge of his extremely comfortable seat! The new bar area is a lovely ,relaxed space, and it makes a nice change to smell culture rather than overpriced sickly popcorn! ;-)

The QFT is one of the few independent cinemas left in Belfast (probably in Northern Ireland…read moreactually). It's the place to see modern, largely independent films. It's also a great place to see films like Coco Before Chanel or La Vie En Rose - pretty well known and successful films, but not mainstream enough for the chain cinemas. You'll get a mix of students, film buffs and Guardian reader types (I mean no offence, I include myself in that group!) here, all enjoying the chance to see something different, challenging, and hopefully more interesting than some of the films available in bigger screenings. The only criticism I have is of the screens themselves. There isn't a lot of leg room (not a problem for me, I'm 5ft3", but anyone over about 5ft6 would have trouble), and only some of the seats are elevated. At a screening of Coco Before Chanel, the only seat I could get was in the third row and as a result, I could see the bottom of the screen. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but when the film is subtitled, it's a pretty fatal flaw. Thankfully, my French isn't terrible, so I was able to fill in some of the blanks, but others weren't so lucky. There are always some great films and talks on at the QFT during the Belfast Film Festival, so whether you're a casual fan or a total film buff, this place is worth checking out.

Someone somewhere is a bright spark. Putting pianos on the street just to brighten up people's…read moremiserable, monotonous days. It is so simple. And it was so effective. I suppose in a way it was public art, but public art that the public could actually get involved in. Which is a nice change. Not something to look at, but something to do. It was a bit confusing when I first walked past and seen a piano (as you would expect, you don't go down to the shops and expect to have a piano sitting in the way). And admittedly I did that passer-by thing that meant I just looked at it instead of actually doing anything. And then someone with a hat and bright hair sat down and twinkled away. And she was quite good. But then I got this overwhelming urge to play. Despite the fact I have no piano skills. I can do a bit of Twinkle Twinkle. But that's pretty much it. So I skipped it. But still, to the artist Luke Jerram, Well Done! We need more things like this. Give me a trumpet and i'll play a jazz version of Ground Force.

Last Monday while I was walking through town I came across in my opinion one of the coolest ideas…read more(of its kind) ever implemented in Belfast. I was walking by the Tesco's minding my own business when I came across a crowd of guys sitting around singing and laughing, and bearing in mind in was around 10.30am I thought it more likely that it was a crowd of drunks enjoying themselves rather than anything else. As it turns out I was half right. Yes it was a crowd of drunks and yes they were enjoying themselves. At the centre of their entertainment however was a piano that had been locked to the nearest sturdy object, out of the way of busy shoppers but obviously placed so it could grab the attention of passersby. One of the guys was playing out tune after tune much the pleasure of the small gathered crowd and this definitely put an out of place smile on my face for a Monday morning! As I carried on about my business I came across two more pianos around town and I'm sure there are more in the places I didn't walk around. The pianos were obviously well worn but had been fixed up so that they could be used for this initiative and fair play to whomever it was that did it! It was great to see people getting such enjoyment out of an object that would most likely have been discarded and the fact they could be used by anyone that wanted to have a go represents a notion of sharing and kindness that is rarely seen and sadly lacking these days. Good work!!

Great place. Love this design mix of old and new…read more The actual theatre was outstanding in terms of the art on the roof etc. I think I spent just as much time looking up as I did the show.

I love the Grand Opera House. A visit to see a show here makes for a fabulous day or evening out…read more Over the years some of my favourites have been The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dracula Untold, Columbo: Prescription Murder, Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, Dirty Dancing and The Woman In Black. It's also a visually fabulous Victorian style theatre and even the modern architecture of the Baby Grand section is beginning to appeal to me (although I disliked it when it was first built). There are a couple of bars inside which boast a good drinks menu and as with all theatres, you can preorder your beverages for performance intervals. Being a relatively small theatre auditorium I always find there's a good view of the stage no matter where you sit, great sound and comfortable seating too. There are a couple of small drawbacks however. Tickets to popular performances can sell out fast, so you need to book immediately if you're interested in a show. Plus tickets can be expensive as well, so it's not a cheap day out. Nonetheless, you'll find a huge range of performances here including musicals, drama, comedy, opera, pantos and dance so there really is something to suit all tastes.

Not just for culture vultures, The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (aka CQAF) is for everyone. It's…read morean annual celebration of visual art, comedy, theatre, music and literature. A lively and exciting festival with 150 events happening in 30 venues across Belfast but mainly concentrated in the Cathedral Quarter and Custom House Square. I absolutely love it and you'll find both popular and more obscure events happening. One of my favourites from a couple of years ago in 2014 was South Saharan band Tinariwen. A fabulous music concert and a band who I would never even have heard of if it weren't for CQAF. This year the 2016 program looks amazing and I'm already circling dates in my diary for the following events: ~ Vegstock, a vegetarian festival 02/05/2016 ~ Guy Garvey in concert 01/05/2016 ~ Ursula Burns, comedy harpist 04/05/2016 ~ Seeing Through Your Eyes: The Photographs of Peter Dressler 1972-2003, 01/04 - 14/05/2016 ~ Late Night Art Walking Tour 05/05/2016 ~ Monochrome in Cathedral Studios, 6 Artists respond to the theme 'monochrome' 05/05/2016 ~ Wet Plate portraits by Matthew Gordon and Jim Maginn 28/04 - 28/05/2016 ~ Rumpelstiltskin Revisited, knitted paintings by Jacqueline Wylie 29/04 - 10/06/2016 ~ The Death of Orpheus and Other Myths, screen prints by Leo Boyd 28/04 - 28/05/2016 There are a lot more events happening between 28 April and 8 May 2016, so go check the programme out online at http://cqaf.com/2016/

The Cathedral Quarter is a bit of a cultural monster in Belfast at the minute, and the Cathedral…read moreQuarter Arts Festival showcases the variety of arts on offer in Belfast to perfection. It's slightly less mainstream than the Belfast Festival at Queen's, so you might not recognise that many names when you go through the programme (I know I don't, anyway!), but don't let that put you off. Most of the events are very reasonably priced, so take a chance and go see a blues artist, or a stand-up you've never heard of, or a debate on modern architecture in Belfast - you might just be surprised! Belfast is fast becoming a city of festivals - we have one for everything! But the Cathedral Quarter has managed to separate itself from the crowd by providing a programme that is at once populist and alternative, providing support and inspiration for the arts in Belfast, and that can't be a bad thing, right?

Good venue for civil ceremonies and functions! I personally use it for access to the Lagan toe…read morepath, as parking is right beside the path itself and its free! Very little I can say about the actually venue as I have only been in t once but as for my use it is very good:)

I recently attended a wedding reception at Island Arts Centre and it's a beautiful, modern,…read moreextremely well designed building for such functions. Architecturally it consists of curved walls and circular rooms. Large glass windows let natural light in and allow a view of the green landscape. Pleasant, helpful staff and a delicious buffet with scrumptious veggie options of veg pizza, sandwiches and a lush garlic and herb dip. There was plenty for all the meat eaters as well. Admittedly not a large selection of wines but we had a quality Prosecco and Sauvignon Blanc and thus the wannabe wine snob within me was more than happy. I'm giving this spot 4 stars because I think it's such a great venue and I had an enjoyable time at the wedding. I believe the whole building is referred to as Lagan Valley Island however they don't just offer event facilities - as per their website "Lagan Valley Island has many functions; It is headquarters of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and the facility is also a unique mix of civic, business and arts facilities - home to council offices, the Island Arts Centre, Council Chambers, a purpose built Conference Centre, Theatre, and stunning wedding facilities". I fully intend to return to see a play or a visual arts exhibition. If I can fault this place in any way - it would just be that it's perhaps a little tricky to get to if you don't drive.

'The Cultúrlann' is a cultural centre based on the Falls Road in Belfast. It is the focal point of…read morethe development of Irish language and culture in west Belfast, in an area that is becoming known as the Gaeltacht Quarter. It hosts a wide range of events, including language classes (Irish, French, Spanish), live music performances, plays, art exhibitions, etc. It boasts a cafe/restaurant (see my Cultúrlann cafe review), a small theatre, an art gallery, an Irish language radio station, a few offices, and a bookshop. It's a beautiful building which was formerly a Presbyterian church, and is now a hub of Irish language and culture, with many Irish speakers frequenting the cafe. I'm not a big fan of arts and plays but, if you are, check out the website or local press for upcoming events.