Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
Gala Dinners & Award Ceremonies at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
Gala Dinners & Award Ceremonies at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum can be held in the Transport Galleries, Ballycultra Tea Room or the Cultra Manor.
This series of architecturally stunning linked galleries provide a spectacular venue for dinners and awards ceremonies. Arrive at first floor level and gaze down on the tables set amongst Ireland’s largest collection of steam trains. Then enjoy an aperitif in the Road Galleries before taking your seat for dinner, amidst the awesome splendour of the Irish Railway Collection.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet Capacity |
Cabaret Capacity |
Theatre Capacity |
Hrs available for hire |
Floor Level |
Wheel
chair access
|
Min booking period |
| Transport Galleries *train in |
240 |
180 |
220 |
7am-9am or 6pm-1am |
Ground floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
| Transport Galleries *train out |
300 |
210 |
500 |
7am-9am or 6pm-1am |
Ground floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
* One train ‘Dunluce Castle’ is removed to accommodate larger functions.
Unique offering
To make your evening truly memorable, we can offer a range of special options that your guests will talk about for years to come:
- Steam Train Arrival
The Cultra Halt provides direct pedestrian access to the Transport Galleries. The Railway Preservation Society can provide a steam train from central Belfast to the Museum. The journey takes approximately 15 minutes and provides a superb start and/or finish to your event. As it is one of the busiest rail lines in Northern Ireland, there may be some restrictions on the timings available.
- Costumed Characters
Characters in appropriate and accurate period costume will bring your event to life. Flower sellers, railway porters, the house keeper and butler from Cultra Manor or staff from the Titanic are just some of the characters that can interact with your guests, providing a utterly memorable experience.
- Aerial Acrobats
With an incredibly high ceiling there is scope for truly spectacular entertainment in the Rail Gallery. The Belfast Community Circus can make superb use of the space with a range of aerial shows such as trapeze and silks.
- Themes
As one of Ireland’s leading and most diverse museums, we have access to a huge range of expertise, images and artefacts, all of which can help to give themed events real impact.
Decorated in the sumptuous style of an Edwardian hotel dining room, the Ballycultra Tearooms are set in the heart of the Folk Museum. Located a gentle two minute walk from the town car park, along Tea Lane, they transport guests back to the elegance of Edwardian Ulster.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet Capacity |
Cabaret Capacity |
Theatre Capacity |
Hrs available for hire |
Floor Level |
Wheel-
chair access |
Min booking period |
| Ballycultra tearooms |
80 |
60 |
120 |
7am-9am or 6pm-1am |
Ground floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
Unique Offering
To make your evening truly memorable we can offer a range of unique options that guests will talk about for years to come.
- Ballycultra Town
Let your guests enjoy a pre-dinner drink in McCusker’s Pub, then work up a healthy appetite by visiting the school, the rectory, fisherman’s cottages and the bank before dinner.
- Costumed Characters
Characters in appropriate and accurate period costume will bring your event to life. Flower sellers, the Rector, the Bank Manager or the house keeper and butler from Cultra Manor, are just some of the characters that can interact with your guests, providing a completely unique experience.
- Traditional Musicians
We can arrange for you to be entertained by a range of traditional musicians who will add atmosphere to the evening.
- Themes
As one of Ireland’s leading and most diverse museums, we have access to a huge range of expertise, images and artefacts, all of which can help to give themed events real impact.
One of the last mansions of the landed gentry to be built in Ireland, Cultra Manor is set in the very heart of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum and commands spectacular views across Belfast Lough. The manor reflects the Edwardian country house elegance of its origins and provides the ideal setting for grand events where refined style is paramount.
| At a glance |
| Room Name |
Banquet Capacity |
Cabaret Capacity |
Theatre Capacity |
Classroom Capacity |
Hrs available for hire |
Floor Level |
Wheel-
chair access |
Min booking period |
| Kennedy Room |
150 |
115 |
200 |
115 |
7am-1am |
1st floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
| Evans Room |
80 |
60 |
100 |
60 |
7am-1am |
Ground floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
| Conor Room |
30 |
24 |
30 |
24 |
7am-1am |
Ground floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
| Ferguson Room |
-- |
-- |
25 |
-- |
7am-1am |
1st floor |
Yes |
4 hours |
Unique offering
To make your evening truly memorable we can offer a range of special options that guests will talk about for years to come.
Characters in appropriate and accurate period costume will bring your event to life. The house keeper and butler from Cultra Manor are just some of the characters that could interact with your guests, providing a completely unique experience.
We can arrange for you to be entertained by a range of traditional musicians who will add atmosphere to the evening.
As one of Ireland’s leading and most diverse museums, we have access to a huge range of expertise, images and artefacts, all of which can help to give themed events real impact.
Additional information
Catering
Our resident caterers have a range of fabulous 5* menus for you to choose from be it a sit down gala dinner or a sumptuous buffet style event.
Car parking
There is free car parking at the Folk Museum car park and overflow parking at Cultra Manor car park.
Location
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is situated 7 miles east of Belfast, near Holywood, on the main Belfast to Bangor Road (A2), just 15 minutes outside Belfast City Centre with excellent access by road, rail and bus and close to Belfast City Airport.
Accommodation
There are a number of excellent hotels close to UFTM, including the 5-Star Hastings Culloden Estate & Spa and the 4-Star Clandeboye Lodge Hotel. For further information and special offers on accommodation please go to www.discovernorthernireland/convention.
Event Services
We have a number of preferred suppliers with experience of setting up and executing a variety of events at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museums, from AV and lighting to stage hire. For further information speak to our events team.
Events Team
Members of our dedicated events team are available to provide support and to facilitate your gala evening at the Folk Museum. For further information on gala dinner product, or to organize a site visit, please contact our Events Executive on +44 (0) 28 9039 5108 or complete the short form below:
Contact our events team