Folllowing extensive engagement across various sectors in the first few months in the role, Belfast’s First City Centre Night Czar, Michael Stewart, has announced 4 key priorities for the time ahead.
To develop and enhance late night connectivity around transport so that it will benefit those who work and enjoy the Night Time economy from 6pm to 6am.
I have been working closely with a range of stakeholders, including representatives from the Taxi Association, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), and Translink, to develop a more reliable and accessible late-night transport network.
Translink’s Late Night Christmas Service was a roaring success, having welcomed 17,000 passengers, a 50% increase on 2022. This highlights the importance of public transport to the night-time economy. Decision makers now need to take the next step and establish a late-night service across bus, train and glider services. This will turbo-boost our economy throughout the year by providing workers and patrons with a safe, accessible and reliable route home.
Whilst enhanced public transport services will be the cornerstone of an improved nighttime experience, I am also advocating for changes in taxi policy and legislation to allow for an increased number of drivers throughout the city. Every year, we are losing drivers. As of April 2024, there were approximately 5,719 active taxi drivers in Northern Ireland – much less in Belfast City Centre alone. This is a significant drop from 2014, when there were nearly 16,000. We need to create an environment that welcomes new drivers in and encourages existing drivers to stay.
Advocating for an End To Violence Against Women & Girls
Like in all cities across the world, safety is a key concern for both those who want to enjoy the city at night, and employees who provide patrons a quality experience. Improving transport and supporting our BIDs to improve the public realm across the city centre will continue to go a long way to enhancing the perception and performance of our urban areas. And needless to say, there is a role for continued collaboration with City Council, relevant partners, PSNI and so on.
When it comes to safety, a particular focus for my tenure as City Centre Night Czar is ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Incredible work is being done in this sphere by a number of agencies. This is important – all who operate within the night-time economy need to be an ally of women and women’s advocacy groups. Only by listening to real insight and experience can we reach the right solutions.
Initiatives like ‘Ask for Angela’, which the PSNI oversees with licensed venues, remain important. But it’s crucial the industry remains on top of our response by ensuring we provide staff with regular training and retraining to guarantee effectiveness.
Furthermore, the Department of Infrastructure has a role to play by providing additional and adequate lighting, and CCTV in all key areas of the city centre. I’ve had and will continue to have engagements with key voices here to ensure that I can lend my influence to highlighting how important positive change in this is.
Working with relevant agencies and statutory bodies to reinstate Culture Night in Belfast for September 2025.
Culture Night had a glowing reputation as one of Belfast’s most significant and anticipated creative events. It was a unique and inclusive celebration of everything that makes Belfast special – our people, our creativity and cultural heritage, our diversity.
In previous years, attendance figures for Culture Night reached upwards of 100,000 – proving that culture is the magic dust of Belfast. This isn’t “just one night”. It’s an opportunity to showcase all that is brilliant about Belfast and give our hospitality, entertainment and retail sectors an unmissable boost. It’s a night for everyone.
Regardless of impact, the arts support cultural expression and community cohesion so it’s my view that its appearance in the cultural calendar should be a non-negotiable year on year. Willie Jack, and many other leading industry voices have made it clear that this is a missed opportunity.
If we fail to see its return in 2025, we are not only giving 100,000 people a reason not to visit the city centre but encouraging them to travel elsewhere for Culture Night. I am committed to supporting the platform and supporting Belfast City Council with ongoing engagement and exploration across audience and sector needs for development, potential delivery mechanisms and associated funding models.
Supporting the development of a common sense approach to Pavement Café Licensing
