Fodor's Expert Review The Crescent Arts Centre

Based in a beautifully restored rambling stone building—a former girls' high school—the Crescent presents an all-year-round series of events. Experimental dance and theater, concerts, and workshops are all part of the program. The center also hosts the Belfast Book Festival (in the second week of June) during which writers participate in lively talks, lectures, and readings. Exhibitions are held in the upstairs gallery. Light meals and snacks are available at lunchtime in the Pantry Café, where storyboards tell the history of the building and famous locals connected to it.

Nature note: between May and July, common swifts fly in from southern Africa to nest above the center's stone walls. Special "swift bricks" have been installed to provide nesting sites.