A NEW large-scale outdoor family festival due to take place in Belfast in May will celebrate the origins of the city and its people.
The Farset Project celebration on May 30 will explore the centrality of the River Farset to the development of the city socially, economically and physically, while re-connecting communities to this rich heritage.
The river was a vital source of sustenance for the first Belfast settlers and a key attraction for the many foundries and linen mills which flourished, making Belfast an important industrial city.
The project is one of seven events funded by the Arts Council and Belfast City Council through the Creative and Cultural Belfast Fund and is a cross-community collaboration between Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on the Falls Road and the Spectrum Centre on the Shankill Road.
As part of the celebration, a new public art sculpture is to be located near the source of the River Farset.
The public art piece has been developed, planned and shaped by local communities through a series of artist-led engagement workshops.
Artist Collective Solas Creative have been commissioned to develop the piece which will act as a symbol of the river and the communities that grew around it.
Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, said the Farset project was an "innovative and imaginative take on the city’s own fascinating history which will bring the people and communities of Belfast together in celebration and I would encourage everyone to get involved in something amazing".
Further information on the project is available at facebook.com/creativebelfast, via twitter @Cre8tiveBelfast and at #CreativeBelfast.
