Everything you see as you make your way along the Causeway Coastal Route will etch itself into your memory. But beyond the splendour of the scenery is the splendour of the people and how they celebrate that world around them in song and dance, in food and the fairs and festivals that bring them together every year. So while you’re here, you must eat, drink, dance and be merry, there’s a whole lot going on between Belfast and Derry-Londonderry.
Belfast International Arts Festival
Every October, the Belfast International Arts Festival puts on over 100 events featuring Irish premieres and a host of top international acts.
Started in 1962, the festival is the city’s longest-running contemporary arts event. There are not too many festivals that can boast having Ravi Shankar or a certain Jimi Hendrix as guests. The world’s greatest guitarist celebrated his 25th birthday in the Whitla Hall in Queen’s University in 1967 with a performance that was “so bad,” according to the reviewer from The Belfast Telegraph, “you could feel your insides.”
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
Feeling your insides is exactly what The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival is all about. This is the older International Arts Festival’s younger (upstart) sibling and with more than 150 shows in some 30 venues in Belfast’s city centre it creates quite a noise in the city.
All the right noise that is. Since it started in 2000 the festival has been a major contributor to the arts/cultural-led regeneration of the Cathedral Quarter area and is renowned as one of the most dynamic festivals in the UK and Ireland. Billy Bragg, Patti Smith, Guy Garvey and Johnny Marr have all appeared at the festival throughout the years - you get the picture. Very cool indeed.
Hit the North Street Art Festival
If graffiti and street art are your thing, Hit the North Street Art Festival is for you. The event was set up by Seedhead Arts and the Community Arts Partnership in 2013 as a response to vacant space along North Street in Belfast city centre. Since then Hit the North has become one of the biggest street art festivals in Ireland and every year boasts an amazing line-up of artists from across the world.
Glenarm Castle Festivals
When you move out of the capital and head up the coast, you'll soon arrive at Glenarm Castle. Owned, and still lived in by the McDonnell family, the castle is known the world over for its famous walled garden. It is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year. Twice a year they celebrate its beauty with the annual springtime Tulip Festival and the summer BLOOMFEST. This place is one not to be missed for the green fingered among you.
The Heart of the Glens Festival, Cushendall - Early August
If you’re searching for the heart of Northern Ireland then The Heart of the Glens Festival in nearby Cushendall is probably what you’re after. This is a community festival, run by the community for the community. You’ll experience more than a warm welcome when you go to see how they put on a show.
A highlight of the event is the Dalriada Sounds concert which showcases local talent in dance, music, singing and poetry.
The festival runs for nine days in early August, with each day celebrating one of the nine Glens of Antrim. Stories, myths and legends take on a whole new meaning in such breath-taking scenery.
Auld Lammas Fair, Ballycastle - August
Mosey a little further along the Causeway Coastal route in late August and you’ll come across the Auld Lammas Fair. It has come a long way since it first started celebrating the ‘loaf-mass’ or wheat harvest nearly four hundred years ago. According to locals, Auld Lammas is the oldest continuous fair on the island of Ireland.
For two days, traditionally the last Monday and Tuesday in August, the picturesque and sleepy coastal town of Ballycastle is transformed into a colorful carnival. Hundreds of stalls sit squat beside candy-striped bell tents luring you in with bargains, deals and the chance to partake in some friendly haggling.
Not everyone will convince you to buy perhaps. But resisting the temptation to try the local honeycomb sweet, known as Yellowman, is futile. No harm giving in sometimes.
Salmon and Whiskey Festival - Bushmills
If you haven’t filled up on Yellowman then warm welcomes, whiskey tumblers and wild smoked salmon await you at the Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival. You might even learn a tasty trick or two from your favourite celebrity chefs.
While you’re there you can experience other highlights including the Glens Artisan Market and tours of Bushmills Salmon Station.
Portrush Raft Race Weekend- May
After all that whiskey, a visit to the seaside might be in order. The coastal town of Portrush has two rather quirky annual events that you can choose from. The Portrush Raft Race Weekend involves, raft racers coming together to raise funds for the RNLI and, as the organisers say themselves, “a good dollop of lunacy”.
In June, The Causeway Coast Ford Fair has become a huge attraction on the Causeway Coast and attracts 10,000 visitors a year. The event hosts a trade village, selling Ford products and car-related merchandise and also offers you a chance to sample the local food.
The Causeway Coast Truck Festival
Even bigger wheels are celebrated during the Causeway Coast Truck Festival. Now running into its 16th year, this festival brings country music, family fun, food and over 600 of Ireland’s finest show and working trucks together for a honking, or maybe honky-tonking, great weekend. It’s a great excuse to spend some time in lovely Portstewart, home of legendary Wings guitarist, Henry McCullough.
Stendhal Festival, Limavady August
McCullough was a regular at the Stendhal Festival, one of Northern Ireland's best loved, grassroots festivals. The festival organisers say they hope to “bring the very best in the arts each and every year for as long as we all shall live” and every year they deliver. The festival takes place in August on Ballymully Cottage Farm and since starting in 2010, has really put Limavady on the cultural map.
IMBOLC International Traditional Arts Festival
The IMBOLC International Music Festival takes place in Derry-Londonderry through January & February. This is one of the island of Ireland’s leading folk and world music festivals. While it’s still firmly rooted in the music of the island, in recent years, the festival has grown in depth and breadth. Today it encompasses music genres ranging from folk, traditional and roots to jazz, contemporary and world music.
