Seedhead Arts, with support from Hennessy NI, is getting ready to make a ‘splash’ Ireland’s biggest street art festival in Belfast.

To celebrate its 12th birthday, the ‘Hit The North’ (HTN) Street Art Festival will welcome its most impressive roster yet with the internationally. Over 60 artists from across the UK, Ireland and internationally are due to take part with the full line-up and events programme due to be revealed over the coming weeks.

The ten-day celebration will culminate in a ‘paint jam’ on Kent Street, Belfast on Sunday 5th May where spectators can soak up the party atmosphere and enjoy entertainment, food trucks and refreshments as they watch murals come to life.

HTN was initially established over a decade ago as part of rejuvenation efforts in the North Street area of Belfast. The festival’s influence and impact has grown significantly since then and it is credited for nurturing and developing Northern Ireland’s street art industry locally. In the last 12 years, the festival has welcomed over 200 artists from all over the world, helping bring NI’s rich cultural heritage for mural art into the 21st century.

Hit the North with Hennessy 2024 Artist Line Up —

HIT THE NORTH 2024 EVENTS

Hit the North Exhibition Launch & Auction

This year to launch our Festival programme our friends at The Black Box have agreed to host an exhibition in the best room in Belfast.
Free Entry 
Black Box Green Room 
Exhibition Launch
2 May | 7 – 9PM

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Street Art Pub Crawl (3rd)

Once a year at Hit the North we like to mash up our world famous street art tour with a pub crawl.
£30 PP
Starting at the Black Box, Finishing at the Sunflower
Strictly Over 18s
3 May | 6–9PM

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Beginner Street Art Workshops

Join Peaball for a crash course in graffiti, street art and stencil
£30
11am (U18) 2pm (Adults)
Belfast Central Library

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SignWriting Workshop

Join artist and signwriter Laura Nelson aka @szuszusignco for this relaxed and informal ‘Introduction to sign-painting’
£30
2pm
Belfast Central Library

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The Incrementals with Dreph

The Incrementals is a podcast and networking event from Seedhead Arts looking at the specifics of being an independent creative.
Free Admission 
Sunflower Bar 
3 May | 9pm

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Real Sketchy

After our Exhibition launch there’s no better way to start a Hit the North than with a Real Sketchy.
Free admission
 Black Box Green Room
 2 May | 9 – 11pm

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He's Not Right in the Head — Exhibition Launch

FGB is a Belfast based street artist. His work often highlights important issues shedding light on topics that are often overlooked or ignored.
Free Entry 
Vault Artist Studios (Marlborough House) Exhibition Launch 2nd May 6-9pm

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You Missed a Bit

We made a film about our tenth birthday party with Pretend Pictures so we’re premiering it at this year’s festival.
£5
Black Box Green Room
3 May | 3pm

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The Pre Block Party party

It’s become a tradition at Hit the North that we get the whole gang together the night before the big event in the John Hewitt Bar.
 Free Admission
The John Hewitt
4 May |  9pm–1am

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HTN 12th Block Party

This year’s event will feature 60 local and international artists, with an array of styles and techniques on show.
Free admission
Kent Street & Union Street
5 May | 2–6pm

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FAQ + PLAN YOUR VISIT!

We are fully programmed for 2024. If you want to be considered for next year’s festival please email info@seedheadarts.com with examples of your mural work.
Please be aware that Hit the North has developed a massive international reputation in recent years but still operates on a tiny budget. We therefore have to make difficult curatorial decisions - we’d love to be able to host 200 artists but we simply can’t. We’ve maximised our site as best we can so please don’t expect that we can find you a wee spot on the day.
By air
Flights from all major UK and European cities arrive at either of Belfast’s two airports. Belfast International is 19 miles from the city centre, and George Best Belfast City Airport three miles from the city centre.
By boat
Stena Line sails up to six times a day between Belfast and Cairnryan, and up to twice a day between Belfast and Liverpool. P&O sails up to nine times a day from Cairnryan to Larne, and twice a day from Troon to Larne from the end of March to end of September.
By bus
In the city, Translink Metro/Glider buses are very regular throughout the day. A single journey bus ticket starts at £2.20. Smartlink day tickets start at £3.70. For most up to date routes and fares, visit translink.co.uk.
By train
Lines run between Belfast and Dublin, Larne, Londonderry and points in between. Contact Translink 028 9066 6630 or visit translink.co.uk for up-to-date timetables and fares
Hit The North takes place in various parts of Belfast City Centre, but the main event, the Block Party on Sunday 5 May takes place on Kent Street outside and around the Sunflower Public House.
You’re right there is a marathon on that day. It will kick off at 9am and be largely done by the time we kick off our Block Party at 2pm. Some road closures will still be in effect at this time though, so please plan accordingly.
Full details on all road closures and their timings are found here.
Ramada by Wyndham
Ramada by Wyndham Belfast is located in Cathedral Quarter Belfast - the most popular part of the city - and barely a five minute walk to all HTN activity.
Bullitt Hotel
Bullitt Hotel is a stylish and cleverly designed hotel with an urban atmosphere, offering top-quality accommodation in Belfast city centre. It has everything you need to eat, drink, work and play.
Premier Inn — Cathedral Quarter
Located in the bustling Cathedral Quarter, Premier Inn Waring Street is the ideal location for a visit to Belfast.
To view the full range of hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and hostels Northern Ireland has to offer visit Discover Northern Ireland.
No, you don’t need a ticket. It’s entirely free, no booking required and all entirely welcome.
Absolutely.

You’re in luck, we’ll have a curated selection of pop up street food vendors at our Block Party on Kent Street featuring Oui Poutine, Feast and Cooking with Friends, as well as outstanding pizza served inside the Sunflower Pub courtesy of Boxing Hare Artisan Pizza.
Alongside that there’s also several restaurants within the area of he site including The Dumpling Library Coppi, Waterman, Bunsen, Orto, The Dumpling Library, Deerah and more.
It’s a Block Party, supported by the fab folks at Hennessy, outside the Sunflower Pub, of course you can get a drink! And if you’re coming to Belfast for the first time, there are quite frankly few better places to get a drink than the Sunflower.
You can make a day of it by checking out these fantastic establishments as well, only a few minutes walk away from the Block Party site — The John Hewitt, The Black Box, the Ulster Sports Club and The Reporter.
We’ll have the excellent Happy Out Coffee truck running alongside all the glorious food on our Block Party site as well as Established Coffee, less than a five minute walk away, from the site and Neighbourhood Cafe for those dying for their caffeine fix!.
Yeah we’ve got music. This year at our Block Party we’ll have legendary DJ David Holmes on the decks and Beat ’n’ Drum Samba band on the… er drums.
Yes! As well as Hit The North, this particular Bank Holiday Weekend in Belfast always hosts two of the city’s best Festivals in The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival with a great selection of music, comedy, theatre and talks as well as Festival of Fools, a street outdoor street circus festival free for all to attend.
It might well be one of the best weekends for arts and culture in Belfast throughout the entire year.