Agenda item

The Committee was advised that a request had been received from the organisers of Féile an Phobail to permit the planned entertainment to run beyond 11.00 pm on up to eight nights during the festival event within Falls Park, running from Friday 24 July to Sunday 9 August 2026.

The Director informed the Committee that Falls Park has a 7-Day Annual Outdoor Entertainments Licence and a 7-Day Annual Indoor Entertainments Licence for a Marquee and both have been used to hold events in the past, primarily for this event.  The Licences were held by the City and Neighbourhood Services Department and were transferred to the organisers for the duration of their event.

As this is not an application to vary the terms of the Outdoor licence, but a request for Council’s permission to extend the hours under an existing Licence Condition, there was no requirement for public advertisement in this case.

The event organiser had indicated that outdoor music events were scheduled for Friday 24, Saturday 25, Friday 31 July, Saturday 1, Thursday 6, Friday 7 and Saturday 8, and Sunday 9 August 2026.  The request was to provide entertainment beyond 11.00 pm on all of these nights. 

The event organiser had indicated that it was intended only to operate to 1.00 am on three occasions.  These dates had been identified as Friday 7, Saturday 8 August and Sunday 9 August.  The Service was awaiting confirmation from the organisers on the  actual finish time of the remaining events for which extension beyond standard hours had also been requested.

The event had been running for over 30 years as a community festival and, in recent years, organisers had consolidated the music events hosted at Falls Park to six nights.  That decision was motivated by a desire to limit disruption to the community in close proximity to Falls Park.  However, the request for entertainment to go beyond 11.00pm for 2026 would be to increase the number of occasions to eight evenings. 

The applicant has indicated that it was intended that entertainment would go on no later than 1.00 am for the events on Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August, with this request for extended hours on these nights being due to the diversionary nature of the events.

The Committee was reminded that in 2025 it had agreed to grant the organisers permission to operate on 6 nights of the event beyond the standard hours of 11.00 pm to 1.00 am and on all these nights entertainment did continue beyond 11.00 pm.

A significant factor, which was unique to this year’s event, was the operation of a campsite for the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann at a neighbouring location within Falls Park.  Féile an Phobail have a stated aim to deliver, in conjunction with Belfast City Council, a safe, accessible and well-managed facility for visitors to the city for the Fleadh Cheoil. 

The PSNI and the NIFRS had been consulted and responses were still outstanding.   Should the Committee be minded to approve the extended which had been requested, it would subject to satisfactory responses from both.

The other issues were set out in the report in relation to previous noise complaints, the proximity of the campsite for the Fleadh Cheoil nah Éireann, the acoustic report and the neighbourhood pre-notification letter and were being dealt with by the Environmental Protection Unit.

The Committee agreed that entertainment should be permitted to take place beyond the standard hours of licence up to 1.00am on all eight nights.