The Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics
The Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Mission and aims
The mission of the festival is to provide high-quality showcases for the discussion of contemporary political and societal issues including new ideas on politics, culture and activism.
• To organise an inspiring annual programme of performance, discussion and debate.
• To encourage the participation of under-represented groups in political/cultural debate and discussion.
• To stimulate reflection and discussion on difficult and controversial issues.
• To promote free speech, good relations, cultural diversity and equality.
We are an independent, non-profit registered charity with minimal administrative costs and not aligned with any political party or group. Our goal is to encourage participation from people not normally involved in political debate and to stimulate discussions on new ideas about politics, culture and activism. Supported by more than 60 partner organisations, our diverse seven-day festival offers an eclectic mix of talks, workshops, theatre, poetry, comedy, music, film, and performances.
WEBSITE
www.imaginebelfast.com
CONTACT PERSON
Peter O’Neill and Mags White-O’Kane
email
LOCATION
Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)
Organisational structure and programme
The festival takes place every March in Belfast and involves a week-long series of events aimed at engaging people in political and cultural discussions and debates in the broadest sense. The festival seeks to cover a wide spectrum of issues, including but not limited to mainstream political debates.
The inaugural event was held in March 2015. The majority of the events in our festival are proposed through a public call for proposals conducted every October. The festival doesn't receive corporate funding; instead, we are supported by our partners and individual donations.
Participation in the festival is open to all, and while the main debates are not party-political, groups and individuals are encouraged to discuss those 'difficult' and contentious issues that often don't come up in public discussions.