BELFAST is set to put on its brightest colours when the MTV Europe Music Awards come to town on Sunday.On the go since 1994, and having visited Madrid, London and Stockholm, this is the first time that the event has come to Ireland.

With tickets as elusive as a decent summer, big hitters such as Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Snow Patrol and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be making their presence known as they set out their stalls at the prestigious event.

With just days to go until the glitterati descend on to the Odyssey stage, the Andersonstown News went to the Kennedy Centre to hear what local people are making of the fuss, and more importantly, to see if they had managed to secure an elusive ticket...

Falls Road resident Tony Devlin said: “Hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards is a fantastic achievement for the new Belfast.

“It’s a brilliant coup for the city, with HBO coming to shoot Game of Thrones here at the Titanic Quarter, and with Rihanna scouting for locations, Belfast is on the up.”

17-year-old St Genevieve’s pupil Niamh Parker agreed with Tony. “This is a great opportunity for Belfast. Hosting the awards will lift Belfast’s profile throughout the world.”

The Dunmurry resident doesn’t have a ticket but told us she is hoping to catch a glimpse of  Snow Patrol playing live.

14-year-old Ríonach Farrelly doesn’t have a ticket either – but that isn’t stopping her from taking part.

“I will be going down to the Odyssey to see if I can see anyone famous. I would love to see Jessie J sing and, who knows, she might be out and about in the city centre,” she said.

Ríonach’s friend, Eimhear O’Neill, thinks it is a “great idea” to have Belfast host the awards.

“It gets more people into the city, with visitors and tourists, and that can only be a good thing.”

“It’s fantastic for our city,” said Eoin Mitchell, “especially economically and this event shows how far the city is coming along.”

Finally – and still no ticket later – Lauren Clarke had this to say: “I couldn’t get tickets to the event, I rang up but they were gone. I think it’s good for Belfast to be hosting it and if I was going I would love to see Coldplay and Snow Patrol.”