News / 3rd February 2025
LQ BID Launches 2025 Events Program With Chinese New Year Celebration
Organisations from across the Linen Quarter gathered at Zen Restaurant this week for LQ BID’s Annual Dinner. The evening welcomed the Chinese New Year whilst also revealing the BID’s 2025 Event Programme, aimed at enhancing the workplace and city experience for local employees.
A mix of social and business events are planned across various themes including wellbeing, learning, networking, and volunteering, including the introduction of ‘Linen Live After 5’ which will shine a light on the fantastic hospitality, entertainment and cultural offering across the Linen Quarter by offering subsidised and exclusive events, beginning with the launch event on March 12th at the districts newest entertainment venue – Brewdog at the Belfast Grand Central Station.
June will see the return of the BID’s acclaimed Health Week for a sixth instalment, offering free health checks, gym classes and training, whilst July will see the anticipated return of Linen Quarter’s Annual Pétanque Tournament at Blackstaff Square. NI Chest Heart & Stroke are the reigning champions having beaten 27 other organisations to the title last summer.
LQ BID’s Communications and Events Manager, Stevie Maginn, explained how important it is to give employees opportunities to enjoy the city.
He said, “With thousands of people working and enjoying the Linen Quarter every day, it’s important we continue to make their experience a priority. We’ve designed our Events Programme for 2025 with the employee front of mind, ensuring there is a broad and dynamic mix of events taking place right through the year. The city’s workforce is crucial to weekday and weeknight economic activity. They support restaurants and shops and bring a sense of vitality to our urban areas so it’s really important to us that we provide them with opportunities to enjoy the Linen Quarter whilst also creating a greater sense of community amongst our members. After all, the Linen Quarter is where business and pleasure meet.
“We’re really proud to have revealed the programme, and it was especially fitting to do so at Zen marking the Chinese New Year. 2025 is the year of the snake, symbolising transformation, renewal, and growth, aligning perfectly to the LQ BID’s ambition and vision for the district.”
The historic Linen Quarter, the area stretching from City Hall to Shaftesbury Square is home to more than 300 organisations such as Deloitte, Invest NI and various Governmental departments, with Kainos’ 14-storey office block currently under construction on the Dublin Road. It is rapidly becoming one of the most vibrant, must-visit areas of the city with 40 cafés, bars and restaurants, a dozen hotels, three major music venues and some of the best street art the city has to offer including the tallest mural on the island.
Chris McCracken, Managing Director of LQ BID explained that first and foremost, it is place-making organisation.
He said, “We continue to deliver pioneering improvements across the Linen Quarter that bring people who work, live and socialise in here greater enjoyment, improved health, a sense of belonging. Since 2018, we have delivered £4 million worth of improvements across more than 30 projects including a dedicated police officer transforming safety measures in the area, a clean team, revitalisation initiatives such as planting, and of course major investment in the public realm including our transformation of Blackstaff Square. We need to continue to think imaginatively to restore economic vitality to Belfast. Our primary vision is to continue to support local businesses to thrive, ensuring that together we can drive greater investment to Belfast.”
Along with the reveal of its Events Programme for the year ahead, LQ BID also announced a new Charity Partnership scheme, aimed at supporting one non-profit organisation in the Linen Quarter from 2025 to 2027. Applications are being sought until April, with the successful organisation appointed based on how LQ BID can support them to reach more people.
Stevie concluded, “The Linen Quarter is home to a number of important organisations that we regularly support including NOW Group, Belfast Central Mission, and NI Heart Chest & Stroke. In recognition of the increasing demands on charities in the current climate, we are proud to introduce our first formalised Charity of the Year scheme and look forward to reviewing applications over the coming months.”
