Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1       The Committee is asked to note that Council has received two requests from event organisers to host events in Botanic Gardens in November 2024 and these include.

 

·        Red Sky at Night – Household Belfast C.I.C – Tropical Ravine

·        Sound of Belfast and The Factory Sessions – Factory 61 – Tropical Ravine

·        Puzzle Lady Filming – Five Down Films ltd – Friars Bush Cemetery

 

2.0       Recommendation

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to grant authority to the applicants for the proposed events on the dates noted; subject to the completion of the appropriate event management plans and satisfactory terms being agreed by the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services and on the condition that the Event Organisers:

 

                                               I.     resolves all operational issues to the Council’s satisfaction;

                                              II.     meets all statutory requirements including Public Liability Insurance cover, Health and Safety, and licensing responsibilities; and

                                            III.     shall consult with adjoining public bodies and local communities as necessary.

 

            Please note that the above recommendations are taken as a pre-policy position in advance of the Council agreeing a more structured framework and policy for ‘Events’, which is currently being taken forward in conjunction with the Councils Commercial team.

 

3.0       Main Report

 

            Key Issues

 

3.2       If agreed, the event organiser or promoters will be required in advance of the event to submit an event management plan for approval by the Council and all relevant statutory bodies. This will include an assessment of how the event will impact upon the surrounding area and measures to mitigate these impacts.

 

3.3       Red Sky at Night – Household Belfast C.I.C – Tropical Ravine – Monday 28 October 2024 to Monday 4 November 2024

 

3.4       Belfast City Council has received a request from Household Belfast to host an art exhibition called Red Sky at Night in Botanic Gardens Tropical Ravine. Household work with various communities throughout Belfast to create public artworks that the people in the area can relate to.

 

3.5       The artist that Household will be working alongside is Kanich Khajonsi who wishes to create an immersive arts installation in the Tropical Ravine. This will involve the set up of speakers and various lights and small objects to create an immersive experience for those who are attending the event. This event is co-funded between Belfast City Councils 2024 programme and the British Council.

 

3.6       The event will be free to members of the public to book onto and will have time slots beginning at 4pm with last entry to the exhibition being at 10pm. Members are to be aware this takes place outside of the regular opening hours of the Ravine and Botanic Gardens therefore, staff would need to be available to open and close the park to those attending.

 

3.7       As the event will operate outside of normal opening hours a member of staff will be required to open / close and staff the facility. Any staffing costs incurred by Council will be charged to the event organiser.

 

3.8       Key Dates for the event are:

 

3.9       Set Up – Monday 28 October to Thursday 31 October 2024

            Event – Friday 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November 2024 – 4pm to 10pm

            De-rig – Monday 4 November 2024 – 4pm

 

3.10      Sound of Belfast and The Factory Sessions – Factory 61 – Tropical Ravine – Thursday 14 November 2024

 

3.11      Belfast City Council have received a request from Factory 61 to host their Sound of Belfast and The Factory Sessions in Botanic Gardens Tropical Ravine on Thursday 14 November 2024.

 

3.12      Factory 61 was originally set up in collaboration with South Regional college to create a pathway for students into the music industry. Their mission is to incubate upcoming talent in the local area by offering professional music and audio services while helping artists create a career in music.

 

3.13      The event is a music gig for local up and coming artists and is designed to be a unique experience for those in attendance as it is designed to an intimate experience for a maximum of 120 people. There will be a charge of between £10-15 per ticket for those who wish to attend the event. Ticket sales will be managed by Eventbrite

 

3.14      As the event will operate outside of normal opening hours a member of staff will be required to open / close and staff the facility. Any staffing costs incurred by Council will be charged to the event organiser.

 

3.15      Key Dates for the event are:

 

            Set Up – Thursday 14 November 2024 – 12pm to 5pm

            Event – Thursday 14 November 2024 – 6pm to 8.30pm

            De-Rig – Thursday 14 November – 9.30pm

 

3.17      Puzzle Lady Filming – Five Down Films ltd – Friars Bush – Three separate Occasions between 23 September and 17 October 2024

 

3.18      Belfast City Council has received a request from Five Down Films to use Friars Bush Cemetery to film scenes for the upcoming T.V show Puzzle Lady. The event organiser wishes to film between the hours of 2pm and 2am and they have provided us with the following information for what the show is about.

 

3.19      ‘When a strange murder takes place in the sleepy market town of Bakerbury, the local police are baffled by a crossword puzzle left on the body. With their case going nowhere, they turn reluctantly to Cora Felton, a recent arrival in Bakerbury; whose fame as the eponymous Puzzle Lady suggests she can help DCI Hooper and the Bakerbury police solve its firs  murder case. But the eccentric Cora isn’t who she claims to be: she’s the fraudulent front-woman for her long-suffering niece - Sherry Carter - a puzzle genius who only came to Bakerbury to escape her rock-star turned abuser ex-husband.’

 

3.20      The scenes taking place in Friars Bush are specifically based around the element of a puzzle. There are three murders that occur, and the bodies are left in the cemetery each containing a puzzle. The amateur Sleuth then connects the dots to solve the case. A further scene will include a chase through the cemetery with an imitation gun being used along with undercover police officers.

 

 

3.21      A member of staff will be on site at all times during the period of filming to open and close the cemetery. They will also be responsible for ensuring that the event organiser is following the necessary health and safety guidelines.

 

            Key Dates for the event are:

 

3.22      The event organiser has requested permission to be able to film on three separate occasions between the 23 September and 17 October 2024. They are responsible for contacting the cemetery manager three days prior to filming to allow a member of staff to be available to facilitate the request.

 

3.23      There will be a fee applied for filming in the cemetery. As per the councils agreed scale of charges this will equate to a cost of £70 per hour which will equate to a total cost of £2520 over the three days filming.

 

3.24      As the event will operate outside of normal opening hours a member of staff will be required to open / close and staff the facility. Any staffing costs incurred by Council will be charged to the event organiser.

 

            Financial and Resource Implications

 

3.25      None.

 

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.26          There are no known implications.”

 

            The Committee adopted the recommendations at paragraph 2.0 of the report.