Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report / Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1 To provide members with a report and overview of the 2025 festive lighting scheme and update on ongoing planning for 2026 provision

 

2.0 Recommendations

 

2.1 Note the contents of this report

 

3.0 Main Report

 

3.1 Background and Programme Context

 

      The Culture Team currently led on the delivery of the Council’s Christmas Lighting Scheme, working in partnership with appointed contractors, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Estates and Property teams, and private landowners to deliver a city centre-wide festive lighting programme.

 

      In March 2025, a new tender was issued inviting proposals from contractors to deliver the city’s Christmas lighting provision. This procurement process reflected a shift in approach, recognising the importance of festive lighting not only as seasonal decoration, but as a strategic cultural and economic intervention supporting city centre vitality.

 

      The tender placed particular emphasis on the role of Christmas lighting in contributing to economic growth, reinforcing Belfast City Centre’s position as a major retail, leisure and cultural destination, encouraging increased footfall, and enhancing the overall visitor experience during the peak winter trading period.

 

      This approach aligns with the broader principles of the City’s Lighting Strategy, which positions lighting as a core component of public realm quality, place identity, safety, and the activation of the night-time economy.

 

3.2 Strategic Objectives of the Christmas Lighting Scheme

 

      One of the core objectives of the Christmas Lighting Programme is to improve connectivity and coherence across the city centre, creating strong visual and experiential linkages between key destinations, including:

 

·       Belfast Christmas Market at City Hall

·       Victoria Square Shopping Centre

·       CastleCourt Shopping Centre

·       Primary pedestrian corridors such as Royal Avenue and Donegall Place

 

      The lighting scheme is therefore not intended as a series of isolated installations, but as a coordinated city centre network that supports pedestrian movement, wayfinding, and dwell time across multiple retail, leisure and cultural anchors.

 

3.3 2025 Programme Delivery and Performance

 

      The 2025 installation was implemented across a significantly expanded footprint of the city. While the scheme was successfully delivered and well received, several infrastructure and operational issues impacted installation timelines. These included upgrade requirements of power supplies, timeliness of external agency approvals, issues incurred with private supply feeds, constraints due to construction on buildings with infrastructure points.

 

      Despite these operational challenges BCC officers worked well with suppliers to secure the necessary approvals and alternative power sources or locations where required

 

      2025 Infrastructure Uplift and Enhancements

 

      As part of the 2025 programme uplift, Department for Infrastructure (DfI) lighting columns were upgraded in line with current electrical and safety standards. This enabled the safe addition of column-mounted Christmas lighting features across the city centre.

 

      Additional lighting was installed along Royal Avenue, including illumination of street trees. This intervention was widely recognised by BIDs and private landowners as having a positive impact on the inner city core, contributing to improved ambience and increased evening activity.

 

      New lighting curtain installations were introduced on Castle Place and Fountain Lane, alongside colour-controlled festoon lighting on Garfield Street. Going forward, both the Fountain Lane lighting curtain and the Garfield Street festoon installations have remained in situ, with no additional cost to the Council, providing ongoing value from the initial investment.

 

      Some minor issues were recorded during the season, primarily relating to servicing and loading vehicles coming into contact with lighting elements. In total, there were approximately 6 contractor call-outs related to maintenance and minor repairs.

 

      Festive Lighting Commission and Switch-On Event

 

      The full festive lighting programme was safely installed and fully operational in advance of the official Christmas Lights Switch-On event. Delivery was achieved within required timescales and in compliance with all relevant health and safety requirements.

 

      Approximately 84 wayleave agreements for the installation of eyebolts and fixings were secured enabling lighting infrastructure to be installed across privately owned frontages and buildings.

 

      The successful completion of these agreements in advance of the Christmas period was critical to programme delivery.

 

3.4 Issues for Long-Term Sustainability and Improvement

 

      While the 2025 programme was delivered successfully, a number of structural and strategic issues have been identified which require longer-term planning and intervention to ensure future viability and growth of the programme.

 

      It is clear that a future strategy should address a number of critical and interdependent components:

 

·       City Spectacle: Developing a format and programme capable of functioning as a large-scale tourism product.

 

·       City-Wide Reach: Exploring how to achieve greater lighting density and presence beyond the core city centre.

 

·       Pathways: Building local skills, knowledge and career pathways within cultural sector for lighting and production

 

·       Infrastructure: Addressing key infrastructure challenges and mitigating future operational risks, such as the reliance on private electrical feeds and the loss of fixing points.

 

·       Future Technologies: a future-focused approach to festive lighting, recognising that lighting technologies are evolving rapidly and audience engagement is shifting towards immersive and interactive experiences.

 

·       City-Wide Approach: At present, festive lighting remains heavily concentrated within the city centre core and future considerations should consider support for neighbourhood retail centres

 

      However, it should be noted that development an implementation of this strategic approach would require an uplift to current fund levels.

 

3.5 Next Steps and Strategic Direction

 

      Planning is underway for the delivery of the 2026 core scheme and associated switch on event.

 

      Festive lighting budget allocation is £300,000 and, with management support previously facilitated through BCCM. Council have been in ongoing discussions with the BIDs about future provisions of the management of the scheme but for 2026 this will remain as council led delivery.

 

      Officers will continue to engage with the BIDs to identify additional areas that can be supported through allocation of their own funding.

 

      Future intention, aligned with ongoing work on the development of an events action plan, and subject to future budget provision, is to move towards a more strategic, sustainable and place-based approach to Christmas lighting, which:

 

·       Supports economic regeneration objectives

 

·       Enhances the city’s cultural offer and visitor experience

 

·       Reduces operational and safety risks

 

·       Builds local creative and technical capacity

 

·       Enables more equitable city-wide participation

 

3.6 Financial and Resource Implications

 

      There are currently no financial implications attached to this report.

 

4.0 Equality or Good Relations Implications /

      Rural Needs Assessment

     

      There are no Equality or Good Relation Implications attached to this report.”

 

            During discussion, the Senior Manager for Culture and Tourism answered questions from the Members in relation to support for organisations along the city’s arterial routes seeking to install festive lighting, engagement with the BIDs and the potential to enhance connectivity of the lighting.

 

            After discussion, the Committee noted the update.