Days Out NI
Shopping & Leisure Centre West Belfast

Kennedy Centre

West Belfast's covered shopping centre on the Falls Road — shops, a cinema, soft play and a food court, with free parking all round.

5 photos
Open 7 daysMon–Sat 8am–10pm · Sun 10am–6pm
Free to browse800+ free parking spaces
West BelfastFalls Road · BT11 9AE
Get directionsOfficial website
1–2 hoursHow long
All agesBest for
IndoorsRain-proof
FreeTo browse
800+ freeParking

Around 45 shops, an 8-screen cinema, indoor soft play and a food court under one roof on the Falls Road — with 800-plus free parking spaces and a big Sainsbury's built in. West Belfast's everyday day out that the rain can't touch.

  • What you'll do — do the weekly shop and the browsing in one go: one of Sainsbury's biggest stores in Northern Ireland, plus Iceland, Argos, JD Sports, Boots, Home Bargains and Poundland, then a film at the 8-screen Omniplex or an hour in the indoor soft play for the little ones.
  • How long — a quick 1–2 hours for shops and a coffee; stretch it with a film and soft play and it's an easy indoor afternoon.
  • Cost & parking — free to browse, and this is the big one — over 800 free parking spaces across a covered underground car park and two surface car parks, with disabled and parent-and-toddler bays. No meters, no ticket machines.
  • Come ready — it's a working local centre, not a designer mall; come for the practical shop, the cinema and the play area rather than big fashion names.
  • Food — honest, familiar stuff: a first-floor food court with Burger King, Subway and Banjaxed fried chicken, plus Costa, Greggs, a Tim Hortons drive-through and the sit-down 26 West Bar & Grill. Filling and cheap rather than fancy.
  • When — long days, 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sunday, though individual shops, the cinema and the soft play keep their own hours.
  • Shop and cinema hours vary. The centre's doors are open long, but stores like Sainsbury's, the Omniplex and the soft play set their own times — check the shop or attraction you're travelling for before you set off, especially on a Sunday morning or a bank holiday.
Plan your visit

Just turn up — it's free, and the parking is too

No tickets and no booking — walk in off the Falls Road any day. Centre hours are 8am–10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am–6pm on Sunday, with the shops, the cinema and the soft play setting their own times inside that. The pull for a lot of families is the car park: over 800 free spaces across a covered underground level and two surface car parks, so you can park once and take your time. It's a proper local centre — anchored by one of Sainsbury's largest stores in Northern Ireland, with Iceland, Argos, Home Bargains and Poundland alongside it — rather than a fashion destination, and it's all under one roof, which makes it a dependable dry day when the weather turns.

Around 45 shops & services 800+ free parking spaces Food court & coffee stops 8-screen Omniplex cinema Indoor soft play Baby change & family bays
Shop hours sit inside the centre hours:

The centre doors are open 8am–10pm most days, but Sainsbury's, the Omniplex and the soft play run to their own timetables — and Sunday trading is shorter. If you're travelling for one particular shop or the cinema, check its own hours first, especially on a Sunday morning or a bank holiday.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 🛍️Reusable bagsHandy for the Sainsbury's and Iceland shop, and easy to carry back to the car.
  • 🧦Socks for the soft playGrippy socks are usually required in the indoor play area if you're bringing little ones.
  • 💳A card and a little cashFor the shops, the food court and the cinema — the parking, at least, is free.
  • 🎟️Cinema times to handIf a film is the plan, check the Omniplex listings before you go so you can time the shop around it.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free to browse — you only pay for what you buy, eat and watch. The parking is free too.
Opening
Centre hours Mon–Sat 8am–10pm, Sun 10am–6pm. Individual shops, the Sainsbury's, the Omniplex and the soft play set their own times inside that, and hours change on bank holidays and around Christmas — check ahead for a specific store.
Parking
Over 800 free spaces across a covered underground car park and two surface car parks, with disabled bays and parent-and-toddler bays. No charge and no time limit.
Shops
Around 45 shops and services over the ground and first floors. Anchored by one of Sainsbury's largest Northern Ireland stores, with Iceland, Argos, JD Sports, Boots, Home Bargains, Poundland, Peacocks, The Works, Card Factory and a Post Office among them.
Food & drink
A first-floor food court with Burger King, Subway and Banjaxed fried chicken, plus Costa, Greggs, a Tim Hortons drive-through and the sit-down 26 West Bar & Grill. Familiar and inexpensive rather than fancy.
Cinema
An 8-screen Omniplex on the first floor with reserved recliner seating, self-service ticket machines and wheelchair-accessible screens.
For families
A jungle-themed indoor soft play with a toddler zone and a parents' café, plus a family entertainment centre, on the first floor. Parent-and-toddler parking bays and baby changing on site.
Accessibility
Step-free access with lifts between floors, disabled parking bays close to the doors, accessible toilets and wheelchair-accessible cinema screens. Check the centre for current details before a special trip.
Local services
Beyond the shops it's a genuine community hub — the Andersonstown Jobs & Benefits office, a credit union, a Post Office, opticians, a dental practice and an MP's constituency office are all here.
Getting there
564–568 Falls Road, Belfast BT11 9AE — about 2 miles west of Belfast city centre, served by Glider G1 and Metro bus routes along the Falls Road.
How long
1–2 hours for the shops and a coffee; an easy indoor afternoon with a film and soft play added.
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to get in — and is the parking free?
Yes to both. It's free to walk in and browse seven days a week, and the parking is free too — over 800 spaces with no charge and no time limit. You only pay for what you buy, eat and watch.
What are the opening hours?
The centre is open 8am–10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am–6pm on Sunday. Individual shops, Sainsbury's, the Omniplex and the soft play keep their own hours inside that, so check the one you're travelling for.
Is there a cinema?
Yes — an 8-screen Omniplex on the first floor, with reserved recliner seating and self-service ticket machines. Check its listings for showtimes before you go.
Is there anywhere for kids?
Yes — a jungle-themed indoor soft play with a toddler zone and a parents' café, plus a family entertainment centre, both on the first floor. Grippy socks are usually needed for the play frame.
Is there anywhere to eat?
There's a first-floor food court with Burger King, Subway and Banjaxed fried chicken, plus Costa, Greggs, a Tim Hortons drive-through and the sit-down 26 West Bar & Grill. It's filling and inexpensive rather than fancy.
Is it good with a pram or a wheelchair?
Yes — it's all indoors and step-free with lifts between floors, plus disabled and parent-and-toddler parking bays close to the doors and wheelchair-accessible cinema screens.
Getting there

564–568 Falls Road, Belfast BT11 9AE — about 2 miles west of the city centre, up the Falls Road towards Andersonstown. Drive straight into the free car parks off the Falls Road, or hop on the Glider G1 or a Metro bus along the same road. Over 800 free spaces, so parking is rarely the problem.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website

Check ahead: 028 9030 0734

See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

Falls Park & Belfast City CemeteryGreen space & history · nearby Bog Meadows Nature ReserveWildlife & boardwalks · nearby Colin Glen Forest ParkTrails, zipline & adventure · short drive More shopping centres across NIRainy-day shops & food under one roof
The story

From Lucozade factory to West Belfast's front room

The Kennedy Centre grew out of a shop, not a plan for a shopping mall. The Falls Road site is said to have been a Lucozade factory before local businessman Hugh Kennedy took it on and opened a Curleys supermarket there in 1981. Trade grew, the building was redeveloped around 1991, and it took the family name — the Kennedy Centre — as it turned into a proper covered centre for the west of the city.

The biggest change came in 2008, when Sainsbury's took over the Curleys business and rebuilt the supermarket into what's reported to be one of its largest stores in Northern Ireland — well over 90,000 square feet under one roof. The 8-screen Omniplex followed soon after, around 2009, and with it the centre became somewhere you could do the weekly shop, catch a film and let the kids loose in soft play without ever stepping back out into the rain.

What sets it apart from a city-centre mall is that it's woven into the neighbourhood. Alongside the shops you'll find a jobs-and-benefits office, a credit union, a Post Office, an MP's constituency office and a dental practice — the practical machinery of daily life, all in one building. For a lot of families up the Falls Road it's less a day out than a familiar front room, and that's rather the charm of it.

Details like store line-ups, cinema screens and soft play change over time, so treat the anchors and figures here as a guide and check the centre's own pages before a special trip. But the shape of the place is steady: a warm, bright, free-to-park centre where West Belfast does its living — and a solid rainy-afternoon plan for anyone passing through.