After Liverpool and Glasgow, Belfast is only the third city in the UK to be given the honour and there are just 59 Cities of Music worldwide forming part of the prestigious UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Belfast is also the first city on the island of Ireland to receive City of Music status, which celebrates the city’s rich musical heritage and recognises its outstanding contribution to music.
Various home-grown musicians were involved in making the successful bid to UNESCO, including Gary Lightbody, best known as a vocalist and guitarist in the band Snow Patrol, as well as Emmy-nominated composer Hannah Peel. Having supported and committed to the delivery of the Belfast City Council bid, the pair have now been appointed official Belfast Music patrons.
As a holder of the title, and as part of UNESCO’s City of Music programme and the wider Creative Cities Network, Belfast will deliver a series of major music events over the next few years.
The events will aim to build an infrastructure to further support music creators, and will also see music woven into public spaces to ensure the power and benefits of music can be felt by all who live, work in or visit Belfast.
Music has long been recognised as a distinctive aspect of Belfast's cultural profile. A sister city of Nashville, the world’s country music capital, Belfast has nurtured diverse music scenes and artists ranging from harpists and counter-culture punks, to rock legends, ravers and outstanding trad musicians.