The Empire Music Hall, Belfast, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Empire Music Hall is a live music venue and bar at 42 Botanic Avenue in Belfast, set in a Victorian building that began life as a church. It is one of the best-known places for a gig, a night out or a drink in the Queen's Quarter, the student-flavoured area south of the city centre.

The story behind it

The Empire stands out on Botanic Avenue because it was not built as a theatre or pub. The building dates from the Victorian era and was originally a church, and it was later converted into the music hall that Belfast knows today. That change of use gives the venue its character: a place made for gatherings, now used for gigs, club nights and evenings with friends.

Botanic Avenue itself has long been a lively street of cafés, bars and independent shops, shaped by its closeness to Queen's University and the Botanic Gardens. The Empire has become part of that mix, and many Belfast people have a favourite memory of a night here.

What to look for

• Look up at the building's front, where the Victorian church architecture is still easy to read in its tall windows and steep roofline.
• Check the posters and boards outside, which show who is playing and give a quick sense of the venue's mix of live acts and events.
• Notice how the building sits among the shopfronts of Botanic Avenue, a reminder of how the street has changed around it.
• If you go in, take in the high ceiling and the stage area, which still feel more like a grand hall than a standard bar.

Tips for your visit

• It is a working venue and bar, so you can go inside as a customer. Check current opening hours and what is on before you plan your visit.
• Evening is the best time to see it, when the street is busy and the venue is at its liveliest. A daytime look at the exterior takes only a few minutes.
• Combine it with a wander along Botanic Avenue, then walk on to the Botanic Gardens, the Ulster Museum and the grounds of Queen's University, all close by.
• Botanic railway station is a short walk away, and the area is easy to reach from the city centre on foot or by public transport.

Explore it on a quest

The Empire is best enjoyed as one stop on a longer wander. Questo's self-guided quests turn a walk through Belfast into a game on your phone: the app leads you from place to place, tells you about each one as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. Start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join. Browse the quests in Belfast to find a route that suits you.