Dalriada Festival 2017

14 July 2017, Glenarm Castle, Glenarm

Runs to 22 July 2017

Spring is in the air and that means the long-anticipated annual Dalriada Festival at Glenarm Castle in Co Antrim is brightening our days with the announcement of this year’s programme highlights.

As Ireland’s most popular family festival, attracting over 30,000 visitors each year, Dalriada is again presenting a cornucopia of delights including music, food, sport and children’s events sure to delight everyone. Set against the spectacular backdrop of Glenarm Castle, visitors from near and far flock in their thousands each year to enjoy the atmosphere and entertainment of this magical festival which continues to go from strength-to-strength.
 
The Camlin Group is once again the titled sponsor and for the first time ever, the official Peppa Pig characters will meet and greet the kids on July 15 and 16.  This children’s favourite is set to equal the phenomenal success of last year’s meet and greet with Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol which attracted thousands of fans to the event. Dalriada Festival also welcomes the return of the annual County Antrim Pipe Band Championships, The Nation’s Strongman Championships and an exciting addition to the festival - Northern Ireland’s first ever Wife Carrying Championships.  Another ‘first’ for Dalriada and indeed Northern Ireland is Northern Ireland’s first ever Mussel Eating Competition, sponsored by The Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy!
 
Due to popular demand, this year’s festival kicks off on July 14, a day earlier than previous years, with the return of Ireland’s favourite country star, Nathan Carter, sponsored by The Sitting Room Hairdressing in Ballymena. Donna Taggart, whose single ‘Jealous of the Angels’ has received Global success and has now reached 85 million views on Facebook, will be making her Dalriada debut. The Fureys and Dublin City Ramblers are just some more of the festival’s music offerings on 15^th and 16^thJuly.
 
The community of Glenarm will take up the baton from July 17, hosting an action-packed programme of sporting events and other entertainment including a duathlon, triathlon, super-endurocross, rowing regatta and mountain bike enduro race. The festival will culminate with a street fair, carnival and fireworks finale on July 22.