Can You Imagine A Better Future With Us?

Our 2025 festival

The Imagine! Belfast Festival returns during 24-30 March 2025 and once again we are inviting you to send us ideas for an event as part of the festival.

Our annual Call for Ideas is intended to give people a role in programming the festival, from suggesting speakers to directly creating and delivering events. Although we can’t run with every proposal, we promise to look seriously at every suggestion and come back to you with a reasoned response.

If you are interested please complete the short Event Submission Form before the deadline on 15 November 2024.

What are we looking for?

We are open to all suggestions but we particularly appreciate proposals that are original, imaginative and creative. You may have an idea for an event around a particular issue or idea using a format such as a debate, performance, exhibition, workshop or even a kids offering. However your proposed event has to be engaging and accessible for the wider community, and deliverable from a logistical, health & safety, and financial point of view. We can help find you a venue and take care of marketing and ticketing etc. We can also offer a small amount of funding to support your proposed event if needed (though we expect well funded organisations to take care of their own expenses).

The 2025 festival is likely to focus on a number of themes including the climate crisis, diversity issues, the current conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, civic activism and deliberative democracy, however please do not regard this as a prescriptive list.

How do I get involved?

We need you to complete the submission form with as much detail as possible. Your submission will be acknowledged, before being considered alongside other applications. Shortlisted suggestions will be taken forward by our Board and the final decision will be made by the end of November.

guidelines

All events must take place during 24-30 March 2025 either as public events in Belfast and/or online.
Your event(s) should be as accessible as possible, preferably free.
Events should be fully accessible and every effort should be made to cater for the special needs of attendees.
Events should be as creative and imaginative as possible with your audience encouraged to participate.
Organisers should take responsibility for all relevant insurances, licences and health & safety requirements including Covid 19 safeguards. This evidence must be provided on request.
Organisers should take responsibility for all costs associated with the event. Assistance may however be available depending on circumstances.
Organisers should help publicise and promote their particular event(s) on any print materials, social media and websites you use.
Assistance in the form of helping to originate and distribute publicity materials, supplying photos of your event, facilitating media coverage, providing online resources and post event evaluation will be appreciated.
We can provide further information and advice on these guidelines as required. For inspiration about possible events, check out our previous festivals at imaginebelfast.com.

Other opportunities

There will be opportunities to participate as a volunteer with the festival team. Other opportunities will develop for individuals and groups nearer the festival so send us an expression of interest by emailing us before 22 January 2025. We are also currently looking for help with PR, photography, filming, print distribution, and event organisation. We always need help with fundraising – could you or your organisation host a fundraising event for the festival or do you know someone who would be interested in sponsorship?

Contact details and further information

If you’d like to discuss your event idea prior to submission, or need any further information, please contact:

he***@im************.com

event submission form

support imagine!

In this climate of austerity, it’s difficult to secure public funding for our work. We try to make our programme as accessible as possible to the public at large and yet pay our performers a decent fee. We work hard to ensure that almost all of our events are free – so if you feel like making a donation (no matter how small), please use this secure payment system provided by Local Giving. We’re a registered charity with low administration costs.

donate

In this climate of austerity, it’s difficult to secure public funding for our work – so if you feel like making a donation (no matter how small), you can do so on our Local Giving page. Thank you!