Belfest

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belFEST is a festival celebrating and showcasing the music scene in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Established in 1996, it has featured many bands and artists who have gone on to find fame and success in the record industry such as Snow Patrol, Duke Special and Iain Archer.

It usually takes place in the late Autumn, utilising the many venues of Belfast including The Limelight complex, the Empire Music Hall, Lavery's, the Duke of York, and the Black Box. The centrepiece showcases are free and are scheduled in such a way that the public can catch up to five or six bands per night by making their way back and forth to the various locations. The showcases are complimented by a range of high profile gigs organised to coincide with the festival, as well as educational and fringe events featuring well known and successful industry figures such as In the City, Factory Records and Hacienda boss Tony Wilson and Creation Records founder Alan McGee.

belFEST is organised by local music promoter Gerry Sheppard, known to many as 'Shep the bollix'. In recent years the event has enjoyed the support of the Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission, BBC Radio Ulster's Across The Line show, the Northern Ireland Events Company, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. For many years belFEST was complemented by DigitalT - another showcasing event taking place each Spring and dedicated to electronic and dance music.

There was no Belfest in 2007. In an announcement made by Gerard Sheppard said there "will be a new look belFEST in 2008. It will be a more focussed presentation of the best of our new music. It will improve how we project that music. It will all be revealed in the New Year."