Limelight is a live music and night club venue complex in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, which initially opened in

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. The complex, located on the city's Ormeau Avenue, consists of Limelight 1 & Limelight 2, as well as a bar called Katy's Bar. The outdoor terrace is called The Rock Garden. Limelight has strong associations with new bands, homegrown talent, and indie/rock/metal club nights.

History

Limelight nightclub and adjoining Dome bar were first opened in 1987 by Patrick Lennon, who had previously owned the Harp Bar in Hill Street, Belfast. Growing over the years, it eventually took over the adjoining building, which was a premises owned by a spring and airbrake business (hence the "Spring and Airbrake" venue name). In 2010 the then owners, CDC Leisure, went into administration. In late 2011, the Limelight complex was purchased by Irish live music promoters MCD & Shine Productions. In late 2012, following a major refurbishment, the individual bars were rebranded, with the Spring and Airbrake being renamed to Limelight 1, Katy Daly's becoming Katy's Bar and the original Limelight venue becoming known as Limelight 2.

Notable performances

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

has commented on the venue:

Limelight is now part of our heritage. There was a great buzz when the owner Eamonn McCann informed me we had hit the No 1 spot that night in '94. I'll always remember this place with affection. We had a party that night and the audience joined in. That was the start of our success story.

Other bands that have performed at Limelight include *

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The Cheese Junkies
*

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Limelight Drinking establishments in Belfast Nightclubs in Northern Ireland Music venues in Belfast