Many cultural events take place in this area of the city, in part because of the presence of the university, and in part because of the choice of venues, including the Whitla, Mandela and Elmwood Halls owned by the University. As well as these inside venues, the Botanic Gardens, serve as an outdoor venue for events such as the Belfast leg of the Tennents T Vital concert. The best known event that takes place in the quarter is the long running Belfast Festival at Queen's, an international arts festival held every November, now in its 46th year.
Much of the area is near the Botanic Gardens, a 28-acre (110,000 m2) public park opened in 1828, housing rare plant species in the iconic 'Palm House' (also designed by Charles Lanyon); the park is located close to the Stanmillis Embankment along the River Lagan, which consists of a towpath that runs to the town of Lisburn. Northern Ireland's largest museum, the Ulster Museum, is located in the Quarter adjacent to the Friar's Bush Graveyard, a former monastery and one of Belfast's oldest Christian sites, with graves dating to the time of Saint Patrick.[1]
Architecture
The area is also known for its architecture which includes not only the Lanyon Building, but also Union Theological College (a Presbyterian training college used as the base for the Parliament of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1932), the main building of Methodist College Belfast and Elmwood Hall (a former Presbyterian Church, now owned by Queen's and used as a concert hall). The main building of Stranmillis College (part of Queen's) was also designed by Charles Lanyon.
Students
Thousands of students from Queen's, as well as other institutions such as the University of Ulster and Belfast Metropolitan College, live in the area which has given rise to a large number of coffee shops, restaurants and pubs which have also made the area popular among tourists. Clear examples of this can be seen in the Stranmillis Village area south of Queen's, and Botanic Avenue to the north of the main campus.
