The festival was established in 1988 as a direct response to the Troubles, and specifically after the events of March 1988. The Special Air Servicekilled three Provisional Irish Republican Army members in Gibraltar. At one of the funerals of the three, an Ulster loyalist paramilitary attacked the funeral with grenades and pistols, killing three mourners. At the funeral of one of the mourners, two plainclothes British servicemen were killed when they drove into a funeral procession. The community of west Belfast came under intense media scrutiny and was described by the British Broadcasting Corporation as a "terrorist community". Seeing this portrayal of his community as negative, misleading and damaging, Gerry Adams gathered a small amount of friends and various local groups to organise a community festival. Its purpose was to celebrate the positive side of the community: its creativity, its energy, its passion for the arts and for sport. The Féile was, and is, aimed at providing events and entertainment at a price that the majority of the community could afford. In August 1988 the first festival opened with a relatively humble parade of floats and bands and Gaelic Athletic Association clubs walking in their club regalia to an open-air party in Dunville Park. Street parties were organised throughout the west of the city. Door-to-door collections were made to fund day trips to the seaside for pensioners and outings for young people.
Present
Féile an Phobail has garnered resounding praise and has grown to one of the largest community festivals in Europe. The carnival parade routinely brings together over 20,000 participants for a colourful, musical procession with specially-designed floats representing a chosen theme, dancers and children in costume and face-masks. It has grown from a one-week festival to a year-round programme with many events. It established the first ever children's arts festival in Northern Ireland, the Draíocht Children's Arts Festival, with activities ranging from sports to multi-cultural and educational events through both Irish and English. In 2003, 6,000 children and young people participated in Draíocht events. The festival also has its own radio station, Féile FM. The station initially broadcast across Belfast for two one-month periods in the spring and summer, during which young volunteers were professionally trained in media and management skillsfor free. In 2007, the radio was successful in securing a full-time licence, and now broadcasts seven days a week, throughout Belfast. Some trainees have gone on to find employment in the local media, including UTV, BBC Northern Ireland and Irish News Online in Belfast. In May 2009, Féile an Phobail launched Belfast's first dedicated comedy festival, Laugh at the Bank.
Festivals
Féile an Phobail runs numerous festivals throughout the year. Among the festivals are:
August Féile – oldest project. Among Europe's largest community festivals, runs in August
Féile an Phobail has also been host to notable artists and painters from Ireland and abroad and hosts a festival-long exhibition in St. Mary's University College. Other community exhibitions take place around west Belfast, organised by community groups in association with the August Féile.
