Real or fake? Belfast enters Christmas tree debate with switch up
It's the age-old question - is a real or fake Christmas tree better?
For many years, the distinctive fir tree outside Belfast City Hall has been the centre point of festivities during the holiday season - once, it was lit up by former US President Bill Clinton.
But now the council is looking to shake things up.
From 2026, the 50ft (15m) landmark will be no more, and will instead be replaced with an artificial one.
The council said the switch has been made due to difficulties with sourcing "a suitable tree for this location".
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) councillor Jim Rodgers said it has been "becoming more difficult to get a real tree" for the city hall location.
As a former Belfast lord mayor, he has been involved in Christmas lights switch-ons with well-known faces, including pantomime dame May McFettridge.
Despite the difficulties, Rodgers still backs a real tree.
"Whenever you talk to the vast majority of people, they prefer the real tree as opposed to the artificial one," he said.
"At the end of the day, some members just couldn't care less whether it's one or the other, but I'm in the council 33 years.
"I've seen numerous changes and I'm certainly not happy with the likelihood of an artificial tree going to be outside City Hall after all that length of time."
What do the public think?
On the streets of Belfast, Rodgers' theory of people preferring real trees rings true.
Chris Thompson has an artificial tree at home, but said, for city hall, nothing will beat keeping it authentic.
"Artificial is good at home to get it to last until Christmas and [avoid] the mess of the needles, but I think out here real is best at the market and the Christmas environment," he told BBC News NI.
Both Ryan Ballantine and Peter Wylie have real trees and said Belfast should follow suit.
"If you look, they've already cut corners and haven't put any baubles on it this year," said Mr Wylie.
"So taking another shortcut and putting in a plastic one that's bad for the environment isn't a good idea."
Both Kim McMahon and Julie Dean said they would be upset if Belfast replaced its real Christmas tree.
"No way - that's sacrilege," Ms Dean added.
Joy Black from Carrickfergus, who has had her tree up since the second week of November, said she is against the idea of an artificial tree, adding that it "takes away from the magic".
"They're not good for the environment," she said.
"All the other cities in the world have real trees and I think that's what we should stick with, traditionally."
Taking a break from checking his naughty and nice lists, Santa Claus said he did not mind either kind of tree as they both "convey the joyful message of the Christmas season".
"I will certainly deliver presents no matter if it's a real tree or false tree, I'll be there because they're both beautiful."
'Vibrant and welcoming'
Whether real or artificial, businesses hope Belfast's main Christmas tree can continue to attract shoppers into the city centre over the festive period.
Martina Connolly, chief executive of the Belfast One Business Improvement District, said it was "one of the most crucial times of the year for our retailers, leisure and hospitality outlets".
"What matters most is that the city centre feels festive, vibrant and welcoming during the busy Christmas trading period," she said.
Are other councils using real or fake trees?
BBC News NI asked all councils in Northern Ireland what their current and future Christmas display plans are.
Out of the 85 trees listed by the councils, 50 are real and 35 are artificial - but there is a growing appetite by some to make the switch to fake.
The Christmas trees in Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne are artificial, and were funded by the Department for Communities in 2024.
But Mid and East Antrim Council said it is keen to replace its real trees, located in Whitehead and Greenisland, with fake ones "when funds become available".
Mid Ulster Council said there are plans to review the two remaining real trees in Cookstown and Magherafelt "to establish if artificial trees are suitable for both locations prior to the 2026 festive season".
Some councils, like Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, use a mixture of both.
It said while most of the trees in the borough are real, they are trialling artificial trees in Banbridge and Dromore due to "ongoing challenges in sourcing suitable real trees of sufficient condition and size".
Derry City and Strabane District Council said it had six artificial trees in key locations including Londonderry, Ebrington, Strabane and Castlederg, while others were "sourced from sustainable forests".
Up along the north coast, real trees are used in Causeway Coast and Glens' six largest towns, but it has increased its use of fake or metal trees.
It said some real trees were "breaking in high winds", leading to "difficulty replacing them during the festive season".
George BeattieReal trees 'more cost effective'
However, some councils aren't looking to sway from tradition any time soon.
Real trees are used by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, which said there were "no plans to switch to artificial trees at this time".
Antrim and Newtownabbey Council said it uses real trees across the borough because it was "more cost effective" and does not intend to switch.
Fermanagh and Omagh Council has installed three real Christmas trees in Omagh and one in Enniskillen.
A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: "A procurement process for the supply of an artificial Christmas tree for outside city hall is ongoing.
"The decision to move away from a real tree was agreed by elected members on 3 March 2025 and has been taken due to difficulties experienced in recent years with sourcing a suitable real tree for this location.
"It is planned to have a new tree in place from 2026."
