Victoria Square Shopping Centre & Oh Yeah Music Centre
The Context & The Challenge
Victoria Square, a prominent shopping destination in Belfast city centre, sought to enhance the shopping experience with entertaining and family-friendly activities. They partnered with the Oh Yeah Music Centre to launch a live music project designed to create a joyful and welcoming atmosphere.
Oh Yeah Music Centre, a hub celebrating and supporting local music, found this collaboration perfectly aligned with their mission to showcase our incredible local talent and engage new audiences. For Victoria Square, the partnership also complemented their commitment to the arts, place -making, and corporate social responsibility goals.
The Results
Working together, The Centre Stage project was brought to life, offering a specially curated line-up of live music performances every weekend from March to October 2024. This featured over 104 distinct music sessions, with artists paid musician union rates. In addition, Victoria Square proudly named Oh Yeah as its charity of the year (May 2024–May 2025), opening its space for creative fundraising events that spotlighted the vibrant talent of local musicians. Initiatives like this blend innovation with business and retail priorities, city centre marketing, and investment in the arts, contributing to the local music ecosystem and economy.
To support the Sound of Belfast Festival’s 10th anniversary, Oh Yeah and Victoria Square jointly applied to the Arts & Business Investment Programme Fund to extend the live music programme. The Sound of Belfast 10th anniversary performances saw three choirs and an additional 6 acts take part. This partnership reflected a shared goal of revitalising the city centre, integrating retail and arts to boost local business and the music economy. Together, they animated the shopping space, bringing it to life through the power of music, whilst also supporting and championing home grown talent.
