County Antrim plans Game of Thrones signs to promote tourism
By Ani Bundel
Game of Thrones is famously filmed all over Europe, from Croatia to Spain to Iceland. But the heart of Westerosi location filming lies in Northern Ireland, in and around County Antrim and County Down, which are the two counties that the capital of Belfast lies between. The proximity of Antrim’s locations to Belfast and to Titanic Studios (where most Game of Thrones interior sets are built and filmed) has made it a stand-in for many of Westeros’ locations over the last five years. And now the County is taking steps to capitalize on that.
According to the Ballymoney Times, the local authority is working hard to get ordinances through the local council that would allow signs to be erected in some of the more famous filming locations in time for the Season 6 premiere on April 24th. The proposal is to “spend around £2000 on two Game of Thrones signs showing filming at Knockdhu and Shilnavogy Valley.”
The two signs would resemble the proposed image above. This is for the one at Knockdhu, which “tells how Cairncastle has often doubled for the lands north of Winterfell.” The main picture is from the pilot episode, “Winter is Coming,” but also includes images from Sansa’s journey home last season. The other sign, for Shilnavogy Valley, “shows the location doubling as the Dothraki Sea, a vast area of grasslands in Essos.”
If the signs look somewhat familiar, it’s because they are based on the already approved design for these sort of landmarks from HBO. According to the report, Northern Ireland Screen has already approved the signs on HBO’s behalf to speed along the process and get the signs up by the appointed date. There’s already one much like it that stands in Ballintoy Harbor that features an image of Theon’s homecoming from the beginning of Season 2.
County Antrim should get used to the signs, since the proposal also suggests there will be more forthcoming in the months to come. As Game of Thrones heads into its endgame, it’s time for these locations take steps to ensure that tourists keep coming once filming finally ends.