NEWS

Thursday, August 20, 2026 Around 5,000 members of the Royal Black Institution will march through Larne on August 29 in one of five major demonstrations marking the end of the 2026 parading season. The Co Antrim gathering will see 76 preceptories and 71 bands take part, with organisers expecting up to 10,000 spectators. Six districts will be represented, including Ballymena No 2, alongside Lisburn, Antrim, Larne, Ballymoney and Ballyclare. The main parade will begin at 12 noon

A Land Rover Defender restored on the television programme Car SOS will take centre stage when Motorfest NI brings cars, motorcycles, trucks and live emergency-service displays to Ballymena this Sunday. The family event opens to the public at Ballymena Showgrounds at 11am on Sunday 23 August, with admission costing £5. Organisers say 100% of the money raised will go to Community Rescue Service Central. From television restoration to rescue service The distinctive Defender und

Motorists heading to Ballycastle for this weekend’s Ould Lammas Fair are being urged to plan ahead, with major road closures, limited parking and changes to bus stops expected as thousands of visitors arrive in the town. The PSNI has confirmed traffic restrictions across the four-day event, running from Saturday 22 to Tuesday 25 August, including extensive closures on Sunday evening and throughout Monday and Tuesday. Visitors are being strongly encouraged to consider public t

Young anglers are being offered a free evening of fishing at Kilgad Lakes near Ballymena as a local club brings its summer programme to a close. Kells, Connor and Glenwherry Angling Club has exclusively booked the lakes from 5pm to 9pm, on Wednesday 19 August, allowing its junior members to fish free of charge. Equipment available for beginners All junior anglers are welcome, and anyone who is not already a member can apply to join the club by tapping the button below. Fishin

Ballymena BID is bringing businesses, families and visitors together for two major days of town-centre celebrations as Ballymena prepares to mark its 400th birthday. An End of Summer and Ballymena 400 Street Party will take over Greenvale Street on Saturday 22 August, before businesses across the town join the official birthday celebrations on Tuesday 25 August. The programme, with support from Department for Communities (DfC), will run alongside a number of anniversary event

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben has taken the top spot at Waterstone’s Ballymena this week, heading an eclectic bestseller list spanning contemporary thrillers, literary classics, self-help and romance. Homer’s The Odyssey, in Emily Wilson’s acclaimed translation, and John Steinbeck’s East of Eden take second and third place respectively, while modern bestsellers from Mel Robbins, Shari Lapena, Alice Feeney and Kristin Hannah also feature prominently

Thousands of people are expected to descend on Ballycastle later this month as the historic Ould Lammas Fair returns with four days of horse trading, street markets, live music, family entertainment, food and fireworks. Running from Saturday 22 to Tuesday 25 August, Ireland’s oldest fair will once again take over Ballycastle town centre and seafront, combining traditions stretching back centuries with a packed programme of modern entertainment. Among this year’s highlights ar

Wednesday 12 August 2026 Residents concerned about plans for a major new National Football Centre near Galgorm will gather in Ballymena on Thursday evening to hear the latest on the proposal and the campaign opposing its location. The public meeting, organised by the Right Facility, Wrong Location campaign, will take place at 6pm at the Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena, with residents and others interested in the development invited to attend. At the centre of the debate is a su

People across Northern Ireland are set to witness one of the most spectacular astronomical events visible here for decades this evening, when the Moon obscures around 93% of the Sun. The high-coverage partial solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August 2026 will provide the best eclipse coverage Northern Ireland is expected to experience until 2090. To mark the occasion, the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast is hosting a free public viewing event from 6pm un

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon and Roy Smyth, Chairman of Ballymena BID get ready to promote a day of colour and fun in Ballymena. Ballymena will celebrate its 400th birthday with a day of family entertainment, storytelling, music and community events before fireworks light up the sky over the town on Tuesday 25 August. The programme will mark 400 years since the signing of Ballymena’s Charter in 1626, with celebrations running from the morning through t

CGI artist’s impression of the proposed new i4C CleanTech Centre in Ballymena People in Ballymena will get their first opportunity this week to examine plans for a new four-storey Innovation and CleanTech Centre proposed for the former St Patrick’s Barracks site. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is beginning a statutory public consultation on its proposed i4C development, with an in-person event taking place at the ECOS Hub on Wednesday, 12 August. The project would create

St Patrick’s housing development in Ballymena A new community hub bringing health, welfare, housing and policing support directly to residents of Ballymena’s St Patrick’s development will officially open this week. Radius Housing will launch the new St Patrick’s Community Hub on Thursday 13 August, creating a dedicated space within the 135-home development where tenants can access regular advice clinics and community services close to home. The Hub has been developed followin

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans has taken the number one spot at Waterstone’s Ballymena this week, leading a Top 10 that brings together contemporary fiction, science fiction, thrillers, Irish literary classics and poetry. There is plenty more for local book lovers to explore during August, with Waterstone’s Ballymena unveiling its latest Books of the Month across fiction, thriller, fantasy, non-fiction, Irish writing, children’s and young adult categories. The selection

Thousands of musicians, dancers and visitors are converging on Belfast today as the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann reaches a major weekend of competition — with people being urged to leave the car outside the city centre and use dedicated Park & Ride services. Around 5,000 musicians and dancers from 22 countries are taking part in competitions across Belfast on Saturday 8 August, adding to what has already been an exceptionally busy week in the city. Competition judging begins at

More than one million passenger journeys have been made across Northern Ireland’s public transport network during the first five days of the Fleadh, as Translink prepares for another surge in demand for the festival’s final weekend in Belfast. The operator says the figure represents around 275,000 additional passenger journeys compared with the equivalent period last year, highlighting the extraordinary impact of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann on bus and rail travel. With the fest

Cyclists from across Northern Ireland are being invited to take on one of the region’s most scenic charity rides next weekend, with every mile helping to raise money for people affected by dementia. The Bann Valley Road Club Tour of the Glens Charity Sportive, supported by Clarke, returns on Saturday 15 August, offering riders the choice of 40-mile or 60-mile routes through the spectacular Glens of Antrim. With all proceeds going to Alzheimer’s Society Northern Ireland, organ

Families still searching for summer holiday activities need look no further, with Ballymena 400 offering a packed programme of FREE family events throughout August. At the heart of the programme are two interactive Adventure Quests, transforming Ballymena town centre into a giant outdoor game where families become detectives, explorers and storytellers as they solve clues, complete challenges and meet colourful characters. But the quests are only the beginning. From a town ce

Jenni Barkley, Belfast Harbour & Fern Keeney, Live Here Love Here 6 August 2026 Families across Mid and East Antrim are being encouraged to make the most of the region’s coastline this month as a popular environmental campaign returns with a packed programme of free and low-cost activities designed to help people reconnect with the sea while highlighting the growing problem of marine litter. The Healthy Oceans Healthy Minds campaign, organised by Live Here Love Here, is back

Six times Northern Ireland Rally Champion Jonny Greer in action. (All images: www.neillpics.com ) Fresh from securing a record-equalling sixth Northern Ireland Rally Championship title, Jonny Greersays the return of the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally to Ballymena was too good an opportunity to miss. The 37-year-old Toyota Gazoo Racing driver admits this year’s route – featuring iconic stages including Torr Head, Glendun and Cairncastle – was the deciding factor in committing to th

The Met Office has brought forward the start time of its yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland after heavy rain arrived earlier than first forecast. The updated warning is now in force from 9.15am until 9pm on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, with forecasters warning that heavy showers and thunderstorms could cause disruption to transport and outdoor events. Warning updated as rain moves east The Met Office said the warning was revised after a band of heavy rain developed across