We are ‘Good to Go’
(Photography: Bethany Chisholm)
Belfast Cathedral is delighted to announce that it has been granted the Visit Britain industry standard 'We're Good to Go' and will be reopening its doors to visitors for self guided and audio guided tours from Friday 14th August at 11am.
Over the past four months the Cathedral team have been working hard to introduce measures that are not only safe, but welcoming and in-line with government guidance. We have made a number of changes to the Cathedral to keep everyone safe that do not interfere with our tour.
The Cathedral will reopen for self-guided and audio guide tours on Friday 14th August. These guides are available in 8 languages (English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin) and individually packaged headphones will be given with your audio guide. Our Kids Trail will also be available for families to enjoy together.
A one way system has been established and floor arrows and additional signage will help direct guests as they make their way around the Cathedral. We ask all guests to be mindful and maintain the current 2M social distance guidelines.
In-line with government guidance (as announced on Thursday 6th August) we will be asking all visitors to the Cathedral to wear a mask. Masks will also be available at our Welcome Desk. For anyone who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons we ask that you inform the Welcome Desk on your arrival. Our staff will also be wearing masks or visors in order to keep you safe. We must all do it, to get through it.
The significant change will be the Cathedral's opening hours. This will be an ever evolving situation and we will keep our visitors updated with any possible changes. Please see below the current opening hours (from Friday 14th August)
Monday - 11am - 3pm
Tuesday - 11am - 3pm
Wednesday - 11am - 3pm
Thursday - 11am - 3pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm
The Cathedral will be open for Sunday morning worship at 11am and we encourage people to join us for that. For those that are unable to attend the live stream of the service will continue via the Cathedral Facebook page - FB: @BelfastCathedral
Holly Wilson, Commercial Business Manager for Belfast Cathedral, commented, 'The Cathedral has stood throughout various dark periods of history, include WW1 and WW2, it witnessed the surrounding areas torn apart by the Blitz and survived through the Northern Ireland Troubles. Throughout, it has remained a symbol of Hope for the city of Belfast. And now here we are as a community, trying to navigate our way through a global pandemic and the grief and ongoing uncertainty that no-one imagined 2020 would bring.
The Cathedral's doors have been closed to visitors since mid March and I am delighted that we will be reopening them again. Now more than ever, the city needs Hope and the Cathedral is a symbol of that. This year look forward to welcoming local visitors as they enjoy their Staycations. Many local people have never been inside this magnificent building and we are now encouraging them, more than ever, to do so. The Cathedral has so many interesting stories behind its big doors.
We have made some changes and although things might be a bit different our story and our message remains the same. There is no better time to have Hope, so please do come inside and learn how the Cathedral has played a significant role to the people of Belfast for over 120 years.
I am confident this will be another point in history that the Cathedral stands through.
Belfast Cathedral reopens - Friday 14th August 2020
#CathedralAwakens