As Belfast continues to emerge from lockdown, street art festival, Hit the North is preparing to bring a welcome splash of colour to the city’s streets this September, supported by a new partnership with the world’s leading Cognac brand, Hennessy and Arts and Business NI.
Hit The North street art festival was established by Seedhead Arts and the Community Arts Partnership in 2013, and over the last seven years has grown to become one of the biggest street art festivals in Ireland. There were big plans for the 2020 event, which was initially scheduled to take place in May 2020, but had to be put on hold when the Coronavirus pandemic hit.
Now, a scaled back version of the festival will hit Belfast’s streets this September, turning local buildings into canvases to showcase the work of local artists.
Commenting on the plans for this year’s event, organiser, Adam Turkington said: “We had big plans for this year’s Hit the North, particularly with the support of our new sponsorship partnership with Hennessy. It was disappointing to have to put the breaks on so close to the event, but we’ve re-grouped and are looking forward to bringing some of the best local talent together to bring some much-needed colour and vibrancy to Belfast’s streets this September.
“On Sunday 20th September the streets around the Sunflower Bar will be filled with the best artists in Ireland doing their thing. It’ll be a slightly scaled back one-day affair, with all of the necessary social distancing measures in place.
“Art has played an important role in some of the most difficult points in our history and we need art and creative expression more than ever before. We’re grateful for the continued support of Hennessy and we hope to bring the event back to full scale by May 2021.”
Laura Shiels, brand manager for Hennessy said: “Hennessy has a long history of partnering with and supporting artists and innovators. In recent years, this has evolved into collaborations with leading urban artists to create a series of limited edition bottles that celebrate the creative spirit of the Hennessy brand. Last year’s bottle was designed by Felipe Pantone and we’re very excited to release this year’s limited edition bottle on 1st September, so keep an eye out for this hitting the shelves.
“Locally, we are proud to partner with Hit the North to support and showcase the work of local artists. Hit the North is pioneering a new tradition of positive new murals that celebrate a New Belfast. This seems even more important and poignant in the current climate. We hope the striking pieces of street art created will bring some joy to people in these challenging times and that they will live on and be enjoyed long after the event.”
Hit the North will take place on Sunday 20th September on the streets surrounding the Sunflower Bar.
Artists involved include: Subset, Aches, Shane O’Driscol, ADW, KVLR, Friz, JMK, Emic, Verz, FGB, Rob Hilken, Leo Boyd, Danni Simpson, Hollie Pereira, Signs of Power, Danleo and Omin, with more to follow.
For further information go to seedheadarts.com/