Connswater is excited to host the Rooftop Summer Recess as part of the EastSide Arts Festival. Expect a weekend event filled with a free bumper programme of public art, circus acts, live performances and our Urban Market. Rooftop Summer Recess will coincide with the launch of Belfast Rooftops – a project led by Urban Scale Interventions to develop cultural uses for rooftops in Belfast.
Event Dates & Times: Friday 13th August: 6pm-9pm | Saturday 14th August: 10am-4pm | Sunday 15th August: 12pm-5pm
| Time | Activity | Description |
| 6pm-9pm | Belfast Busking Band & Belfast Uke Band | Calling all rooftoppers! Join us for the launch of Belfast Rooftops and the Rooftop Summer Recess. Belfast Rooftops is an initiative led by Urban Scale Interventions - a creative studio based in Belfast that tackles city challenges through design. Connswater Rooftop Summer Recess is the first community rooftop take over in Northern Ireland! So come along and enjoy an evening of live drawing and live music from Belfast Busking Band & Belfast Uke Band. |
| Time | Activity | Description |
| 10am-4pm | DJ Dave Ralston | Belfast based DJ Dave Ralston joins us as our host with the most providing all the craic and beats for the weekend! Dave brings with him experience from DJing in some of Northern Ireland's top venues including holding a residency in The Limelight, Scratch Monday's as well as presenting his weekly dance show on the Friday Night Blast on Blast106. |
| 10am-3pm | Rooftop Urban Market | Browse the Rooftop Urban Market that provides a range of range of fantastic local businesses who are showcasing their local products for you to browse and enjoy. |
| 11am-4pm | Big Beach Draw By Platform Arts | Did you know that up close, every grain of sand is different? Come up and add your grain of difference to our rooftop beach in this fun, family friendly event. Using giant chalk, pre-made stencils, or if you prefer, your own imagination we will create a huge community drawing in the heart of East Belfast. |
| 12noon-3pm | Circus Walkabout | Be astounded by close up walkabout magic by the inimitable Caolan McBride! |
| 1pm-2pm | Belfast Busking Band | After enjoying a spot of lunch, be entertained by the amazing Belfast Busking Band. |
| 1pm-4pm | Jump, Jiggle & Jive | Summer vibes will fill the air at the jump jiggle and jive pitch, Fiesta style music, will attract families to our area and then the party will begin. Children will be invited to pick up our brightly coloured summer props, copy our dance moves and have fun in the sun! |
| 1pm-4pm | Mini & Mind Explorers | Mini & Mind Explorers NI provide a unique, enjoyable, fun and interactive sensory play experience. They provide safe play for not only babies and toddlers but for children of all ages. Fill up a cornflakes bucket, hunt for sea creatures in coloured rice and find pirates in cereal seas! Come join in! |
| Time | Activity | Description |
| 12noon-5pm | DJ Dave Ralston | DJ Dave Ralston is back for another day to provide craic and beats! |
| 12noon-5pm | Rooftop Urban Market | Browse the Rooftop Urban Market that provides a range of range of fantastic local businesses who are showcasing their local products for you to browse and enjoy. |
| 12noon-5pm | Big Beach Draw By Platform Arts | Did you know that up close, every grain of sand is different? Come up and add your grain of difference to our rooftop beach in this fun, family friendly event. Using giant chalk, pre-made stencils, or if you prefer, your own imagination we will create a huge community drawing in the heart of East Belfast. |
| 12noon-3pm | Circus Walkabout | Uncover a world of circus with a unicycle, juggling balls, plus a stilt walker! |
| 12:30pm-3:30pm | Elsa, Tinkerbell & Rapunzel | Be entertained by the magical characters of Elsa, Tinkerbell & Rapunzel at the Rooftop Summer Recess! |
| 12.30pm-1.30pm | Utropiks | Utropiks is Israh Castro. A self-taught musician and composers from Sao Paulo, based in Belfast. Born from jamming and busking on the streets of Belfast, Utropiks bring their miscellaneous compositions which has taken inspiration from a variety of genres from Brazilian old school Sambas, Jamaican Dub music to Nigerian Afrobeat, to a level of a free flow experimental groove. |
| 1pm-4pm | Jump, Jiggle & Jive | Summer vibes will fill the air at the jump jiggle and jive pitch, Fiesta style music, will attract families to our area and then the party will begin. Children will be invited to pick up our brightly coloured summer props, copy our dance moves and have fun in the sun! |
| 1pm-4pm | Mini & Mind Explorers | Mini & Mind Explorers NI provide a unique, enjoyable, fun and interactive sensory play experience. They provide safe play for not only babies and toddlers but for children of all ages. Fill up a cornflakes bucket, hunt for sea creatures in coloured rice and find pirates in cereal seas! Come join in! |
| 4.00pm | Big Rooftop Photo | Get together for a big photo on the Rooftop to conclude the Rooftop Summer Recess. |