Ballymena BID brings town together for landmark 400th birthday
- Love Ballymena
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
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 events from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to celebrate the special anniversary town-wide.
Greenvale Street becomes the centre of the party
Ballymena BID’s free street party will run from 11am until 2pm on Saturday, transforming Greenvale Street with games, characters, face painting, balloon modelling, carnival rides and entertainment for all ages.
Kirsty from Downtown Radio will host a live Downtown Radio Roadshow featuring music, entertainment and giveaways throughout the event.
Prizes will include concert tickets courtesy of Downtown Radio, alongside gifts supplied by businesses from Ballymena and the surrounding area.
K&G McAtamney will have the barbecue fired up, while picnic tables will give visitors somewhere to enjoy something to eat and take in the atmosphere.
Encouraging people to enjoy the whole town
Ballymena BID is encouraging visitors to make a full day of the celebration by arriving early, exploring the shops, enjoying coffee or lunch and remaining in the town centre after the street party.
The event is intended to bring people into the heart of Ballymena at the end of the summer while giving local businesses an opportunity to benefit from the increased activity.
It will also begin a significant few days for the town ahead of Tuesday 25 August, when Ballymena officially marks 400 years since the granting of its market charter in 1626.
Businesses join the official birthday celebrations
The programme will continue on Tuesday as participating businesses celebrate the milestone in their own ways.
Activities and offers will include coffee mornings, special discounts, goodie bags, competitions, treats, crafts and giveaways.
Details of the celebrations planned by individual businesses are being released daily and can be found below.
The Ballymena BID team will also be out across the town centre on Tuesday with birthday goodies and spot prizes for visitors.
People are being encouraged to browse the end-of-season sales, revisit an old favourite or step inside a business they have never visited before.
Whether visitors are bringing children or grandchildren, meeting friends for lunch, planning a shopping trip or simply coming into town to share the occasion, the programme is designed to give every generation a reason to take part.
Ballymena BID has thanked the Department for Communities for providing funding support for its Greenvale Street party and town-centre birthday activities.
Council-led events begin at The Braid
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will expand the celebrations throughout Ballymena’s official birthday on Tuesday.
The day begins at 10.30am with a special storytelling session for children aged four to eight at Mid-Antrim Museum at The Braid.
Children will hear The Tale of the Castle Cat and Golden Dragon, a book commissioned for Ballymena 400 which tells the story of Ballymena Castle and Master Adair.
The session is free, but advance booking is required.
Free Birthday Bonanza at Wellington Court
Families can also look forward to more fun and adventure from 11am until 2pm at Wellington Court, when Ballymena BID in partnership with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will host a free Birthday Bonanza featuring circus performers, puppet shows and face painting.
Families will also find cupcake decorating, party-hat decorating and other interactive activities.
Children can take part in a birthday invitation trail, collecting stamps while discovering facts about Ballymena and its history.
Civic service reflects on Ballymena’s history
A civic service will take place at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland on Castle Street at 7.30pm.
The service will offer an opportunity to reflect on the generations of people and events that have shaped Ballymena during its first 400 years.
Live entertainment before fireworks finale
The final celebrations, hosted by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, will take place at People’s Park on Doury Road, where free evening entertainment begins at 8.30pm.
Johnny Murphy School of Traditional Music and Rock Choir — Ballymena, Ballymoney and Jordanstown — will perform live.
Families can also enjoy face painting, glitter tattoos, arts and crafts, a gaming bus, walkabout characters and a magician.
At 9.30pm, a fireworks display will light up the sky above Ballymena, bringing the town’s official 400th birthday to a spectacular close.
Further information about the wider Ballymena 400 programme can be found at:
With Ballymena BID mobilising businesses and delivering two days of town-centre activity, and the Council adding heritage, family entertainment and the fireworks finale, the landmark anniversary will give the whole community an opportunity to celebrate Ballymena’s past while supporting the people and businesses shaping its future.
