Big Night Out Shopping
From the collection of
From the collection of
The novel joys of evening shopping in 80s Belfast.
Modern trading hours are often taken for granted. However, innovations such as Sunday opening, late night shopping and the end of half-day trading on Wednesdays were all new concepts in Belfast during the 1980s. This Good Evening Ulster report focuses on an evening of festivities in Belfast city centre to mark the third anniversary of late-night shopping on Thursdays.
The thronging shoppers partake in a carnival atmosphere of street performers, including a motorbike riding a high-wire above them! Shoppers interviewed here are delighted with what's on offer as they enjoy the novelty of being able to shop in the city centre during an evening.
Good Evening Ulster was the weekday tea-time local news round-up for Ulster Television throughout much of the 1980s and helped to launch the careers of household names such as Gloria Hunniford and Eamonn Holmes.