Big Crowds Queue Up To Celebrate Grand Opening of Belfast Apple Store

The grand opening of the Apple Store Victoria Square in Belfast took place this weekend, on Saturday September 20. The BBC was on hand, and reports, “Hundreds of people have queued outside the new Apple store in Belfast for its first day of opening, with some waiting all night to be the first through the doors.” One of the first in line sported an Apple tattoo. Why? Because he was a graphic designer, and thinks that the Apple logo is one of the most elegant and beautiful ever designed. Another customer expressed great excitement at the first Apple store in Northern Ireland.The excitement was palpable, even when watching the videos of the event. You can view BBC News’ “Queues at Belfast Apple store opening,” BBC.co.uk

Alan in Belfast, a blogger who was at the event, writes, “The first hardy souls started the queue before 11pm last night. Matthew, Michael, Stuart, Wayne and Karl. Another few arrived after midnight (better prepared with camp seats!). And then it was early morning – 5am-ish – when the rest of the queue started to form.”

To those of us used to Apple Store openings, all the regular ingredients were there: the excited staff in their aqua, or orange, or black t-shirts (although the BBC video shows one person — staffer or customer? — wearing a “Steve Jobs for President” t-shirt), the count-down, the clapping and cheering, the gifts being handed out to the customers. But somehow, no matter how many times the events are witnessed, the excitement doesn’t diminish.