One of the biggest events on the music calendar is to be staged in Belfast, generating millions of pounds for the local economy. The MTV European Music Awards are to be held at the Odyssey Arena on Sunday, November 6 and could see pop icons like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Jay-Z grace the red carpet in the city. Confirmation that Belfast has won the bid to stage the star-studded, glitzy bash came during a meeting of the City Council. Members agreed to contribute £320,000 with further funding to be drawn from a number of Stormont departments, Tourism Northern Ireland, NI Screen and commercial sponsors. Hosting the European Music Awards ceremony is part of a three-year strategy to put Belfast on the map as a “world class music destination” by the council and tourism bosses. The first MTV European Music Awards were held in Berlin, four years after the wall was taken down. George Michael performed Freedom surrounded by supermodels, including Naomi Campbell, and Bono received the Free Your Mind Award on behalf of Amnesty International. Edinburgh, Stockholm, Barcelona, Rome, Dublin, Munich, Copenhagen and Liverpool have also held the awards in previous years.