Culture Night's The Night

Last year Belfast gave itself over the Culture Night - a chance to prowl the streets of the Cathedral Quarter, searching for music, words, theatre and unusual japes. It was a memorable occasion, causing hundreds of visitors to squeeze into the cobbled thoroughfares.

Tonight, the scheme returns, with feeder events into west and east Belfast, a deal more noise and hopefully a similar throng. This time around, there's the chance to review the freshly renovated and expanded Merchant Hotel - emblematic of booming ambitions and fresh money. Doubtless the Duke of York will also be stacked out, a venue that's changed dramatically in the past three years, while the concrete fingers of the MAC development also suggest an ambitious lift.

However, some projects have crashed in the past months, and others are sensing a perilous wind. The visitors are less free with their cash and the night-time economy has experienced a few wobbles. So this year's event will require a deal of verve, defiance and good faith. More than ever, there's the need to swing the culture, to make the case for city sectors with rich notions. I'll see you there.