Lights, Camera, Belfast! - historical cinema walking tour
Schedule
Sun Nov 16 2025 at 11:30 am to 01:30 pm
UTC+00:00Location
Leonardo Hotel Belfast | Belfast, NI
THE TOUR THAT'S KEEPING IT REEL!Join Alternative Ulstours' Andrew Johnston on a walking tour of historic Belfast cinema sites, from fleeting fleapits to luxury picture palaces.
Step back in time to the city's golden era of nightlife, when dozens of characterful movie houses entertained the masses!
• The highs and lows of Belfast's 'Wonder Cinema'
• Church hall 'Happy Evenings' on Grosvenor Road
• Conversions to cinema in Belfast's 'Theatreland'
• The storied location destroyed by a car bomb
• Belfast's premier picture house of the Jazz Age
• Cornmarket cinemas put out of business by TV
• High Street's pioneering 'house of entertainment'
• Belfast's Blitzed cinema-cum-waxworks
• The music hall where Belfast first 'saw the light'
• The pool hall that took a shot at the silver screen
• The nightspot shared by Shankill and Falls film fans
• The 'Smithfield Ritz', aka the 'Bug House'!
• Belfast's bygone cinema 'back' after four decades!
Please note:
• The walking tour starts outside Leonardo Hotel Belfast on Great Victoria Street in Belfast city centre, where your guide will be waiting for you
• Please arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
• The tour will last two hours and cover around one and a half miles on mainly flat, even ground
• The route is fully accessible, but please inform us in advance of any mobility issues
• The tour ends at the Avenue Cinema in CastleCourt Shopping Centre on Royal Avenue in Belfast city centre
• The tour will go ahead in all weathers, so please dress accordingly and stay hydrated
• There are public toilets near the start and end points, and we can make a toilet stop approximately halfway through the tour if required
• Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the tour
• Your guide is a Level 4 'blue badge' tour guide and Visit Belfast industry partner
• The tour is fully insured through Tour Guides NI
