The controversial Bright Lights in Botanic festival has been cancelled by Belfast City Council after widespread criticism of the event's negative effects on local neighbourhoods and users of Botanic Gardens.
Minutes of this month’s full council meeting reveal that during a committee discussion held away from public scrutiny, elected representatives voted not to have the council host the festival again, despite having previously agreed with the organisers for it to be held again in Botanic Gardens during Winter 2022-3 and Winter 2023-24
The event illuminated the public park with a trail involving more than 18,000 bulbs, 25,000 metres of neon tubes, 10,000 metres of tree lighting and 160 lanterns, all soundtracked by Christmas themed music.
Read more: Former critic of Belsonic sings praises of organisers this year at Belfast City Council meeting
Many questioned the ticket pricing - with the cost for a family of two adults and three children going above £85. Local residents, a previous Council hearing was told, made complaints to elected representatives concerning the noise of the event during the night and day, the use of park space, the attitude of employees of the private company delivering the festival, and the complaints procedures employed by the company.
Councillors voted to cancel the event away from the public eye in a secret agenda item during the most recent People and Communities Committee on June 21. The result of the 'restricted item', as the council describes agenda discussions held away from the public, was not published until this week’s full council meeting.
The matter was not discussed during the full council meeting, but councillors from a number of parties said at the beginning of the meeting they would leave the chamber should the matter be raised due to them having acquired free tickets for the event in 2021.
The council minutes state: “The committee considered further the use of the Botanic Gardens for the Bright Lights event and it was proposed by Councillor O’Hara and seconded by Councillor de Faoite that 'the committee agree to amend its decision of February 9 2021 for the use of the Botanic Gardens up to December 2024 and retract the granting of permission to use Botanic Park to host the Bright Lights event in 2022'. On a vote, six members voted for the proposal and two against and it was declared carried.”
In a press statement the local authority later said: “Belfast City Council had approved the hosting of the Bright Lights event for three years from 2021, but that was subject to review after each year of the event. A formal legal agreement was only entered into for last year’s event. The council is not aware of any potential legal challenge but is content that it has acted lawfully.”
Last month elected representatives heard a searing critique of the council’s decision to give up the park to the Bright Lights in Botanic Gardens event, run by private company Wonderland Productions, from November 13 to January 9.
Botanic resident Lisa Thompson told councillors: “I think you are aware of the huge groundswell of opposition, disappointment, and in the end, bewilderment, experienced by residents, and crucially tourists in and around this event. I think both the longevity of the event - as you know the gardens were disrupted for over three months - but more significantly the extent and nature of the disruption, dramatically affected the people’s quality of life.”
Gary McKeown, SDLP Councillor for the Botanic District Electoral Area said: “I welcome the fact that this event won't be taking place next year. I was inundated with complaints from residents about it last winter, with concerns including the impact on park users, potential environmental implications, and the cost of tickets. People were particularly frustrated that there was no meaningful community engagement about the event.
“Botanic Gardens is one of our most popular and attractive parks, and is used every day by dog walkers, families and cyclists. While events take place in the park on a regular basis without incident, the duration and scale of this particular one really jarred with people, who felt that their ability to enjoy the park was severely compromised.
“It is essential that if events are being planned in future for any of our parks - that will result in significant sections being put out of action for prolonged periods or will cause disruption to park users - there needs to be proper community consultation and engagement in advance, so residents are fully informed about what's planned, and their concerns are genuinely taken into consideration.”
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