  By Claire Toner
They came, they brought our city to a stand-still and then they left. The Belfast MTV EMAs are now over and what a success they were- from the Ulster Hall gig featuring the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to the Snow Patrol/Jason Derulo City Hall Concert, never mind the Awards Ceremony itself- there were so many opportunities for fans to get involved and Belfast embraced the EMAs in a way no city has before.
Snow Patrol literally stopped traffic not once but twice with their Saturday sound-check prompting a crowd to quickly gather at City Hall- before the Sunday night main event drew thousands to the area. They were the perfect headliners for the outdoor event as they completely understood how much this major event meant to all the fans who lined the city centre streets.
While this was going on, the Chilli Peppers were entertaining 1,200 locals at an intimate gig which by all accounts was amazing. Fiona Teggart was at the concert and said, "The Red Hot Chilli Peppers just rocked the Ulster Hall, they were awesome live and just blew me away. The atmosphere was electric and 'Under the Bridge' was amazing! I didn't want the night to end."
The EMAs Odyssey Ceremony was naturally the most highly anticipated event of the evening and it certainly did not disappoint. Local boy John Kearns was 'The Voice' of the evening, reporting all the goings on to guests and the world-wide  television audience, "After 15 years working on and off as a presenter and producer for MTV, it was a great honour to be asked to be the announcer/voiceover for the 2011 EMAs. It was great to come back to Belfast for the event - this city deserved it so much."
The Red Carpet provided plenty of excitement and star quality for fans who had turned up in their droves to catch a first glimpse at some of their idols. While Lady Gaga turned up late and missed the grand entrance, there were plenty of other A List celebs like Jessie J, Katy Perry, Justin Beiber and David Guetta to represent in style and the crowd went wild for them all.
BBC Newsline's Natasha Sayee was reporting from the Red Carpet on the night, "The lights were blazing, the red carpet was actually hot pink, and then the celebs started walking the walk! It was a case of get over the railing and get shouting their names! Selena Gomez looked incredible in her ivory tulle Marchesa- for me it was the dress of the night. She was such a sweet lady and told us how ''beautiful'' Belfast was! Hayden from Heroes was also typically gorgeous in a more demure, yet very stylish black and white Tibi Rococo. She was so funny, the sort of girl you'd like to have a glass of bubbly with."
In the Odyssey arena itself, the 1,500 'Screamers'- consisting of local auditionees who proved their worth as dedicated music fans- did the MTV organisers proud, screeching in excitement at every movement on stage!
One of the audience members who won her ticket by dancing her heart out at the Waterfront casting had "The most amazing night of my life", Linsey Holden-Downes, a student from Bangor, showed dedication by travelling back home from Northumbria University twice in order to go to the audience casting, and then to the actual event, "Words cannot describe how epic the MTV awards were! The best performance was by David Guetta, the crowd was bouncing and he left us all wanting more- it was such a surreal experience!"
Makeup Artist Paula Fraser had the enviable task of being a 'Seat Filler' in the VVIP section, "A seat filler sits in an empty seat when an artist leaves to present or perform. So we were mingling with lots of famous faces like Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Queen, Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Selena Gomez, and David Hasselhoff to name a few. It was such a buzz seeing the show from the best seats in the house, and the highlight for me was the amazing Lady Gaga who I sat in front of. I caught her eye and gave her a smile and she gave me one back, absolutely brilliant! It was also a privilege to see Queen perform live, they were out of this world!"
Belfast Telegraph Showbiz Corr and Sugah Showbiz herself - Maureen Coleman (pictured below) was also at the Odyssey event, "As a showbiz reporter I'm no stranger to star-studded parties and red carpet premieres. But the MTV EMAs were in a A-list league of their own. Never have I seen so many celebrities under the one roof in Belfast and the atmosphere in the Arena was electric as the clocks on the large screens which flanked the main stage counted down the show's kick-off.
From my wonderful vantage point near the smaller stage at the back of the venue I could see the nominees, Lady GaGa in her bizarre silver satellite dress and matching headgear, Katy Perry in her bubblegum pink studded leather jacket and body-con dress and legendary rockers Brian May and Roger Taylor.
There was a great buzz around the place as each artist came out to perform, but I was always conscious that once the final act had performed, I had to run straight to the media room and file 800 words in half an hour. No pressure then!
For me, GaGa, Snow Patrol, Jessie J and Queen were the highlights. I felt particularly proud when Snow Patrol's performance of Called Out in the Dark was beamed live into the arena, with the City Hall as the beautifully lit-up backdrop. It really looked amazing.
To be part of the EMAs in Belfast was a memorable experience, even if I was on such a tight deadline. I certainly didn't let it spoil my fun. Show over, copy filed, we headed on to the Merchant Hotel for a much-deserved drink and to toast Belfast's success in hosting such a brilliant party."
For anyone on Twitter who saw the hashag #Belfaststimetoshine doing the rounds and trending - it was the brainchild of our very own Sugahfix editor Katrina Doran. The hastag was trending in minutes, went to number one for a few hours and stayed in the Top 5 Trending Topics in Belfast for the night with support from the likes of Cool FM's Pete Snodden, UTV Live's Alison Fleming and Mark Mallet, BBC Newslines Natasha Sayee, BBC Radio Ulster's Alan Simpson, Digital Belfast and everyone who tweeted so enthusiastically. Thanks guys!
On a night that saw thousands of local music fans embrace the celebratory atmosphere around Belfast, and millions of people watching the televised awards, the smallest city ever to host the EMAs showed the world how to party- and we did it in style.
Click on any photo below to bring up full size and click through the MTV EMA photo gallery.
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