The city’s favourite family festival, Belfast Children’s Festival (21 May – 30 May), returns with 10 fun-filled days of free and low cost activities for children aged 0-14.

With a new theme of ‘Perspectives’ the Belfast Children’s Festival would like to invite families and children from across Northern Ireland to experience the very best in children’s theatre, music, dance, visual art and literature.

Highlights include Baby Rave Baby Bollywood; Put on your sari and start practising your bhangra moves for the best Baby Rave to date! Charlie and lola’s best bestest play; Don’t miss everyone’s favourite brother and sister, Charlie and Lola, in their everso wonderful stage show! Festival Returns to the Park; after the overwhelming success in 2008 the Waterworks Park will again be transformed for a fun-filled weekend of activities for all the family including an open air music arena, a special children’s market, a skate park and lots of FREE activities. And Festival in a Weekend returns with 2 days of creative mayhem at the Waterfront to finish a fantastic week of children’s activities.

Find out more and book tickets visit www.belfastchildrensfestival.com or call box office on 028 9033 4455

Some of Belfast's hottest arts and music businesses have come together to offer the opportunity for young acts / solo artists to share the bill with established bands at 'Festival goes to the Waterworks' - a large scale, outdoor family event in the Waterworks Park, North Belfast on 22 May 2010 from 12pm-8pm. The event will be part of the citywide Belfast Children's Festival.

Curated by Oh Yeah (patron Gary Lightbody) on behalf of New Lodge Arts, Young at Art - organisers of the Belfast Children's Festival and Westland Community Group, successful acts will have the opportunity to play to up to 10,000 people in the live music arena at this free family event in May.

The successful candidates will have the exciting opportunity to perform alongside well known local acts like the Inishowen Gospel Choir, Cara Cowan, A Plastic Rose and many more.

Stuart Bailie, CEO of the Oh Yeah music centre says: "We're constantly being surprised at how many hidden musical talents there are in Belfast. This is the perfect opportunity to take those skills and to bring them out to the public."

So if you're in a band or you're a singer/songwriter under 25 years of age and you want your talent to be recognised, enter this open call and you could be selected to perform to thousands of people live on stage

To enter you must be under 25 years of age and able to perform music up to a reasonably acceptable level, you must complete an application form - available from http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewf... and send a 15 minute demo track to sally@youngatart.co.uk

Deadline for all entries is 31 March 2010.

The Waterworks project is funded by the International Fund for Ireland and is managed by the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC) under the Integrating Communities Programme

The project is also supported by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund 'Investing in your future'.

Julie McNamara Presents Crossings

Julie McNamara, renowned for producing cutting edge and contemporary productions returns to The Baby Grand with this new gripping theatre piece running from Tuesday 9 – Thursday 11 February.

On Tuesday 26 January 2010, Julie won the Arts Council England’s Diversity Award at the South Bank Show Awards for her roles as a playwright and performing artist.

“You think you own me?”

Fifteen and pregnant, Shelley wants out of the gang. But you don’t do that do you? On the run in a storm soaked Canning Dock, she finds shelter on an old Ferry boat, but this is no ordinary boat, it is the ghost of The Zong, a slave ship with a murderous history.

An extraordinary ghostly encounter on board takes her back to the hidden histories of women who survived enormous odds. Two powerful women test and challenge her. Are they for or against her and will she ever get out of this alive?

Tickets are priced at £10.75 & £13 and can be purchased at Box Office located in the main foyer, by calling Box Office on 9024 1919 or online at www.goh.co.uk.

Subject to availability there is a “2 for 1” offer on all tickets, simply phone box office and quote ‘mailer’ to avail of this promotion.