Odyssey Pavilion

While this was seen as a major step forward for Northern Ireland tourism and entertainment options, I think it is a major step backwards for culture and anyone who enjoys a nice night out with no trouble and nice atmosphere.
The place is a horrible mix of families out for dinner at one of the many faceless restaurants to young drunk people falling about and being agressive.
The restaurants are all chains and seem to be cookie cutter versions of places elsewhere with no sense of Belfast or any sort of tradition. The clubs here are the same. They seem to only be interested in churning out rubbish music to people who just want to get drunk and start trouble.
The bowling alley is terrible with disinterested staff and antiquated equipment. The gigs and shows put on at the Odyssey are only chart topping acts and there is nothing ever on for people who have more than a passing interest in music. Think Rod Stewart and Coldplay.
There is no culture or sense of pride in being in Belfast, if it wasn’t for the VIP option at the cinema this place wouldn’t be worth going to.

I used to really like the Odyssey. From my first visit, way back when I went to the 5ive concert there (remember them!) it became a regular haunt for going to the cinema or bowling, and then when I became old enough, going to the nightclubs.
In recent years, I have noticed the Odyssey becoming increasingly tired looking, and at night time, it is no longer somewhere that I feel safe, as any time I have been there recently, there has always been fighting going on at the end of the night.
It used to be brilliant back in the days when Precious and the Basin were open, and when Bar7 was good, but unfortunately the sports bar is not my cup of tea, and the Box is absolutely not a patch on the club Precious was, and I really miss that because it was my favourite club in Belfast.
The Odyssey is still good for kids (cinema/​W5) for a meal (they have the Indian Ocean and the Red Panda) and of course it is still the main venue for concerts in Northern Ireland, and Ice-​Hockey matches with the Giants, but I would love to see it get a facelift and be returned to it’s former glory.

Plonked in the middle of the Titanic Quarter, the Odyssey was one of the best places for entertainment when it opened. However, the place has struggled in recent times and (according to a man delivering alcohol at the complex) has seen the popularity wane and some of the venues close.
Soda Joes, the Odyssey Bowl and the immaculate Bar Seven have all came under the dreaded hammer because of the recession, but despite this, they remain simply locked, and hopefully will open again. Having closed shops and bars here makes the complex look incredibly old and run down but hopefully their closure is purely temporary.
Despite a number of closed-​down businesses, the complex does have a number of saving graces, particularly the Arena which has played host to everyone from Metallica to Leona Lewis. The clubs (Box and Beach Club) though they are not necessarily to everyone’s taste, do consistently draw in the crowds and do bring a bit of colour to the complex.
The highlights for me include Rockies, a great sports bar and the fantastic W5 museum aimed at making learning fun. If these two were to go, I couldn’t really see many people wanting to go this far.
Despite supposedly being the best entertainment complex in this country, the Odyssey has suffered because of the recession (there are a number of news articles for those interested) but hopefully it will soon turn it’s fortunes around, reopen the places that have closed down and bring it back to the forefront of Irish entertainment.

The Odyssey Pavilion is home to pretty much every kind of entertainment you can think of.
There are restaurants (La Tasca, Soda Joe’s, Red Panda, Pizza Hut), bars (Bar 7, The Basin), clubs (Bambu Beach Club, Box, Budda) a bowling alley, a cinema and the never disappointing W5.
Personally, I don’t find it to be much craic at night It doesn’t attract my kind of people (my kind of people being a little older than 20 years old) and it’s quite far out of the way, so if you’re there, you’re there for the night.
I had my first taste of La Tasca at the Odyssey and loved it, but then they went and opened one in Victoria Square, so I’ve no need to traipse all the way across the river anymore!
It’s not a bad place to take the kids though, and so it tends to be very busy at weekends and during the holidays. This is largely due to W5, which is for wee kids and big ones alike!
Families could be entertained all day in the Pavilion between playing, eating and the cinema. Although, everything is quite expensive, and there’s no free parking nearby, so I wouldn’t fancy footing the bill for it!!!