Bank of Ideas 2026

Do you have an idea for something creative you’d like to make happen in your local area? You could start with an interest you’d like to share, something you’d like to change with the help of your neighbours, a way of bringing people together.

What creative ideas could you make happen with (up to) £2,500?

Individuals and groups can submit their creative idea for funding and the people of Belfast will decide which projects they’d like to fund at a voting event.

This year, ideas should align with the Fleadh Cheoil theme of 'Celebrating Together'. Fleadh Cheoil is the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture, which comes to Belfast from Sunday 2 August to Sunday 9 August 2026.

Projects will have the opportunity to be part of the celebrations for the Fleadh. There's lots more information on this page and in our guidance section.

What do we mean by the theme 'Celebrating Together'?

Celebrating Together is the tag line for this year's Fleadh Cheoil. As this exciting festival comes to our city, we're taking the opportunity to celebrate and show off the rich range of cultures and diverse communities that Belfast is home to.

For Bank of Ideas, we're open to any creative idea, so long as it is being shared with people and celebrated together. You don’t have to involve big crowds of people; in fact we want to support things happening on local levels.

Your idea might be:

• a form of creativity you want to share with people
• a way of bringing people together
• a moment of pride for your neighbourhood
• an offering for people to learn something new

We'd love to see ideas that you feel represent Belfast – perhaps a treasure of the city's heritage, a warm welcome from your area or an ambition for its future.

Your idea can take place in the run-up to the Fleadh, during the week of the festival or any time before the end of September 2026.

Criteria

Your project should be:

• safe
• legal
• not for profit
• feasible within the timeframe and budget
• a creative idea that aligns with the theme 'Celebrating Together'
• an activity in the Belfast City Council area
• showcased at the Celebration Event in October 2026
• different to any Bank of Ideas funded-event that you've done before

For any questions or help to complete this form please you can contact the team either by email culture@belfastcity.gov.uk, by phone on 028 9032 0202 Ext 3535 or come along to one of our Idea Generating and Info Events and a member of the team will be happy to help.

If you are d/Deaf, disabled, or neurodiverse and would like support with this form, contact University of Atypical: Phone: 028 9023 9450 or Email: access@universityofatypical.org

Previous Bank of Ideas Activity

Here are some examples of projects that happened previously:

• Black Moon Pop-Up Picnic Party- an accessible outdoor event in Ormeau Park, showcasing disability culture in action, with music and family-fun.
• The People's Page Publication - Duncairn Writers' Hub made a collection of stories from and for the people of North Belfast, with the youngest group member at 21 and the oldest in their 70s.
• Art Club- Playful sessions for kids aged 4-11 led by guest artists.
• Bog Meadows Mosaic Heart - the Meadow Ladies created a mosaic to celebrate biodiversity in Bog Meadows.
• Dance: Rhythm of Life - Binder Tohani offered free dance workshops to reignite people's spark through movement.

Belfast Stories

Belfast Stories is a public space, visitor attraction and creative hub, set to open in 2030 at the former Bank of Ireland building and surrounding site.

At the heart of this ambitious project is a love for Belfast, its people and their stories.

The plans for Belfast Stories are still in development and the team want to connect with community-based ideas that share a common purpose.

Belfast Stories is keen to support creative ideas through the Bank of Ideas that help people to:

• Share their stories with each other
• Create new stories for the city
• Give people space to gather and connect

Ideas that connect with this purpose will form a Stories Branch of the Bank of Ideas.

Ideas that are awarded through the Bank of Ideas public vote and that share this common purpose will be invited to join the Stories Branch when their funding is awarded, after being reviewed by the Belfast Stories team.

These projects will be brought together in a network to share learning with each other and to shape the plans for Belfast Stories.

Remember to send in your ideas before the deadline on Monday 23 March 2026 at 5pm.

How to send in your idea

Complete a short form to tell us about your creative project idea. Applications open Monday 26 January 2026 for eight weeks and close at 5pm on Monday 23 March 2026.

Fill out the form by clicking on 'Online Application' below or you can download a physical copy and return your print copy to Culture Team, 9 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8DJ before the closing date of 5pm on Monday 23 March 2026. You can get copies of the application at our workshops, please contact us if you need one.

What happens next

We'll check that it meets the criteria, for example, that it's safe, legal and meets the creative theme of celebrating together. All the ideas that meet the criteria will go through to the next stage - the Voting Day.

As a condition of your funding you will be required to show what you did with the money at a showcase celebration event in October 2026.