'Use it or lose it' - Ardoyne festival calls for community backing after £17k funding loss

'Use it or lose it' - Ardoyne festival calls for community backing after £17k funding loss Funds generated from ticketed events go back in to running the festival next year 13:01, 05 Aug 2026 Organisers of a festival in North Belfast are calling on the community to "use it or lose it" after their funding has been cut by £17,000 compared to last year. ‌ The Ardoyne and Bone Community Festival is a successor to the Ardoyne Fleadh which was first held in the district in 1990. Running this year from August 7-16, the festival will feature a range of events featuring sport, music, the arts, and political discussions. ‌ The annual festival is completely volunteer-run, with any money generated from its two ticketed events going back in to running events next year. However, organisers are calling for support from the community as it has had a major funding cut compared to last year. ‌ Speaking to , Sean Murphy from the festival's organising committee said: "There is a big funding shortfall this year as one of the funders that normally supports us have stopped doing it completely. We're just trying to drum up support in the community, or the festival won't be feasible in the future. "We have to generate ticket sales to make the festival happen. We're not as well funded as the bigger festivals, so we need our community to buy into the festival a wee bit more. Buy the tickets, share the posts. "There are only two events you have to pay for in the whole festival line-up. We have a family-friendly open air tribute concert featuring a Gerry Cinnamon tribute, a Taylor Swift tribute, and more. We also have a popular Sunday sessions open air concert too. ‌ "There is no bar or anything at the paid for events, people can bring their own drinks or soft drinks. There are food vendors there, but you can bring your own stuff too, and have a cheap night out." Tickets for the paid events range from £7 to a family ticket for two kids and two adults reaching £20. Other events throughout the festival include community street parties, an Ardoyne's Got Talent event, family fun days, and a 'Voices of Peace' event to mark 25 years since the Holy Cross dispute in the area. ‌ Organisers say they hope people will come along and keep the festivities and buzz from the Féile an Phobail and going. As for what the festival means for the area, Sean said: "It brings a great buzz and feel-good factor to the area. We started putting the bunting around lamp-posts today to brighten the area up. Once you see that, everyone knows it's festival time. "Everybody gets involved, the street parties begin this Sunday, all the streets organise their own wee events with bouncy castles and things like that. We have a lot of fun days and cultural events on - everybody's welcome, you just show up and enjoy yourself." Article continues below Full details of all the planned events can be found on the Ardoyne & Bone Community Festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages. For all the latest news, visit the homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.