Sunday Openings in Belfast 2026
Update: On 22nd May 2026, Belfast City Council's Strategic Policy & Resources Sunday agreed that a Pilot-Scheme be undertaken to designate the entire Belfast City Council area as a Holiday Resort designation under Article 6, paragraph (9) of the Shops Sunday (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 for the two Sundays during the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann on 2nd August and 9th August from 11am. Large retailers are now invited to notify the council of their intention to extend their trading hours on these two dates. An online form is available below to indicate this notification.
We’re keen to help extend and enhance the city and city centre retail and hospitality experience on Sunday mornings (from March to September), to benefit residents, businesses and increasing numbers of visitors.
Under the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 - the NI-wide legislation which sets out the rules by which shops can open on Sundays – only areas which have designated themselves as ‘holiday resorts’ can give the green light for larger stores (those with floor space of more than 280 square metres) to open at any time on up to 18 Sundays between 1 March and 30 September each year (excluding Easter Sunday).
Belfast is not designated as a ‘holiday resort’ at present – meaning large shops are only currently permitted to open from 1pm to 6pm on Sundays. Smaller stores (those less than 280 square metres) do not have to follow these restrictions, and are already free to set their own opening hours.
We have consulted on the designation of Belfast city centre as a Holiday Resort destination under paragraph (9) of the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, on a number of occasions, most recently in 2019. You can download feedback from that public consultation on the right hand side of this page.
In July 2025, the Council agreed in principle, to introduce the Holiday Resort designation on a citywide basis, following further public consultation. So we’re now seeking your views on the holiday designation being applied across the full Belfast City Council area, subject to a public consultation.
Why are we consulting?
We want to learn more about your experience of Belfast City and Belfast city centre and hear your views on what you would like to see happen.
Our rationale for treating Sunday as distinct from other days is that current usage levels and patterns on a Sunday are different from other days of the week:
- Average daily footfall to the city centre during 2025 peaked on Saturday and was lowest on Sunday (45% less). On Sundays, average footfall peaked between the hours of 2-3pm.
- The hospitality sector is keen to plan activities on Sundays to meet demand (e.g. the growing popularity of the “Sunday brunch”).
- Saturday nights are the busiest in the week for hotel stays. Occupancy levels are just in excess of 85% (10,000+ bed spaces available in Belfast).
- St George’s Market is one of the only city centre attractions open on Sunday mornings. Sundays are the busiest day for the Market, particularly from 10am-2pm.
- City partners are committed to ensuring that the city centre becomes a more family-friendly place. Currently, facilities available to families on Sundays are more limited than other days of the week.
We want to hear your views, whether you're an individual, a visitor or a business representative. Please tell us what you think about extending Sunday trading hours across the full Belfast City Council area by completing the survey below by 12 noon on Wednesday 13 May 2026.
Your privacy and how we will use your data
You do not have to sign in or register on our Your Say Belfast platform to take part in this survey. However, if you are a registered user, please be aware that if you complete the survey when you are signed into Your Say Belfast account, then your email and site registration details can be linked to your survey response. Please sign out of Your Say Belfast account if you want your response to remain anonymous. You can read our privacy notice on the right.
