There is no better way to get beneath a city's cultural skin and discover the elegant and challenging complexities of its character than to explore its artistic life. But, in a multilayered city such as Belfast you may need just a little help to enjoy it to the full. The Belfast Art Guide will assist you through a wide spectrum of visual art, from our largest public galleries to the tiniest privately run spaces and through streets where public art is transforming the Belfast landscape.

Belfast artists have always attracted international praise. Sir John Lavery was the rich, the Royals and the revolutionaries. William Conor and Paul Henry changed how the world looked at the whole island of Ireland. Belfast's painters continue to reap rich praises at such Art Olympics as the Paris, Montreal, Sao Paulo and Venice Biennales.Everyone has their favourite contemporary artist whether it be Brian Ballard, Basil Blackshaw, David Crone, Colin Davidson, Rita Duffy, T.P. Flanagan, Graham Gingles, Carol Graham, the McWilliams family, Neil Shawcross, Mark Shields, Bob Sloan or Keith Wilson.

The city has numerous art galleries and one opens almost every month as a stroll along the Lisburn Road will confirm. The graduation shows at York Street's art college are the star-spotter's feast, as indeed, for other taste, are our auction houses and antique shops.

With their groundbreaking public works, Belfast's latest generation of artists are playing a vital role in revitalisation right across the city, from the Cathedral Quarter to the Gaeltacht Quarter. There's also 'Art in the Park', a sprinkling of sculptural installations enlivening our green spaces.  We hope this guide will enhance your appreciation and enjoyment of Belfast and help you explore our vibrant art scene.

It's that time of year again! After eight weeks of the very best in classical music at both the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, all Britain's principalities get a chance to join in The Last Night of the Proms, with al fresco parties across the land. Here, in Donegall Square, in front of Belfast City Hall, the Ulster Orchestra and conductor Kenneth Montgomery are joined by soprano Ailish Tynan and presenter, award-winning news anchorman Noel Thompson.

The concept is simple: each outdoor venue has one of the BBC orchestras to play the first half of the concert live and then the famous second-half shindig, including all the traditional sing-a-long favourites, is beamed onto a massive screen direct from the Royal Albert Hall.

With the miracle of technology there is also a shouted greeting from inside the Royal Albert Hall to each of the outdoor concerts and Sir Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs gets similar treatment, with each of the principalities contributing one of their national songs to the mix. Of course, there is one massive advantage for being outside to enjoy the Last Night of the Proms - you get fireworks, which those paying a premium to be inside the Royal Albert Hall don't get!

Proms in the Park takes place in five locations across all four nations, with more than 1,500 musicians, 50 TV cameras, 1000 microphones and 50 miles of cable, making it one of the BBC's most complicated regular events and broadcasts. Each year the events get bigger and more complex, embracing new technologies such as texting, interactive TV and big screen broadcasts, enabling millions of people nationwide and across the globe to immerse themselves in the traditional festivities of the Last Night of the Proms.

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Excerpt from "The Belfast Art Guide" by Belfast City Council