12 Days of Pink

1st May-1st June

Larne Museum and Arts Centre, Victoria Road, Larne

The team at Larne Museum and Arts Centre have created a Cycling Exhibition, which will feature existing museum displays as well as new past, present and future artefacts donated by local people. You’ll be surprised at the local links that Larne has with cyling.

Come along to the Museum Auditorium on Victoria Road, Larne during the month of May and broaden your knowledge of all the disciplines of cycling on display. If you have something you feel would enhance the display, and you would be happy to contribute to the display for the month get in contact with our Museum team now!

Friday 2nd May

7.30pm

Broadway Bandstand, Main Street, Larne

In conjunction with Opera NI, the “Jewels of Italian Arias” outdoor Opera has been organised to give an Italian flavour to Larne Town to coincide with Giro d’Italia fever!

This open-air event will take place at Broadway Bandstand, which will be turned into an Italian Piazza in the lead up to the Giro d’Italia Event. You’ll be able to sit and enjoy the opera, and sample some Italian refreshments while you do so! If the weather is right, you’ll think you were in Italy!!

The event is free and everyone is welcome to come along and get a taste of Italy, in the heart of Larne town!

Saturday 3rd May

2pm-4pm

Larne Town Centre

Street entertainers, bands, performers and uni -cyclists will parade through Larne mainstreet on Saturday 3rd May entertaining the local public. If you know of any groups or people who would also like to take part in this, then we would love to hear from you! Contact our events team now! Members of the public will be encouraged to take part in a fancy dress bicycle parade at Broadway Bandstand. There will be live music and performers as well as much more festival activity!

Sunday 4th May

8.00pm-9.00pm

Larne Main Street

We are encouraging families to take part in this unique event! Be creative and decorate your bike with LED lights/glow sticks etc and come along and take part in our Illumination Bike Ride. (Our local lighting and electrical retailers can help you to decorate your bikes accordingly) Those illuminated bikes will look great at dusk while they cycle around the Main Street Course (closed to traffic). Its the only time you’ll ever get to cycle around Larne Main Street with no traffic!

Park your car in one of the adjacent main street carparks and bring your bike to the start line, and why not come down a bit earlier and avail of the free ‘Bike Check-Up Workshop’ provided by Larne Team Madigan club members at the Quay Street/Main Street Junction (outside Maud’s Ice Cream)

Our marshalls and Larne Team Madigan volunteers will take everyone on a special route around the town which will be lit up with Giro d’Italia inspired projections, lighting and installations, with some street entertainment provided by Chaine FM at Broadway Bandstand. Of course there will be ‘free time’ to cycle around the route on your own!

Our special Piazza will be open once again at Broadway, where spectators can sit back, enjoy the atmosphere and have some refreshments! But we want as many people to get out and get cycling!

The event is free of charge, and open to EVERYONE! Come along and get involved! Dont forget to wear PINK!

Monday 5th May 2014

2pm-4pm

Larne Promenade (starting from Larne Leisure Centre)

Another of our family bike ride events, this time taking place on Bank Holiday Monday from Larne Leisure Centre. Your task this time is to decorate your bike pink, and wear as much PINK as you can to tie in with the Pink Giro d’Italia theme! Cyclists will be accompanied around the Promenade route by volunteers and marshalls from Larne Team Madigan club, before being given the opportunity to cycle at their leisure.

There will also be a free ‘Bike Check-Up Workshop’ provided by Larne Team Madigan club situated at the Leisure Centre on the Promenade, so fell free to bring your bike along for a check up!

Italian Refreshments will be provided by the Prom Cafe, and Chaine FM will be popping along to provide some enjoyable entertainment for all! Some street entertainers will also be mingling amongst participants to make the day as enjoyable and fun as possible.

The Prom Cafe have also organised for the Belfast ‘Playbus’ to arrive come along from 12-1.30pm, so why not bring your younger children along before the bike ride to have some extra fun on the promenade!

Saturday 10th May

12pm

Larne Market Yard will be turned into ‘Little Italy’ with a special Italian Market. There will be entertainera and unicycling displays, while local BMX Club East Coast Raiders will provide a BMX display in the market yard.

There will also be several food demonstrations, a range of Italian and other refreshments available, circus performers , live music from bands and the Chaine FM Team, and the Giro race streamed live on big screens so you dont miss any of the action! It is also hoped that the route of the Giro d’Italia race will cycled by willing volunteers using exercise bikes in the Market Yard.

Come along and get involved in the buzz of the day, as we build up to the race peleton coming through the town (anticipated between 3-4pm). The race will make its way down the coast road and through larne town via Circular Road, before turning left at the Market Yard and heading towards Glynn Village along Bank Road. There will be plenty of viewing points to see the race coming through so be sure to get down early! And remember, WEAR PINK!

It is envisaged that road closures and diversions will be in place during race day. In partnership with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, PSNI and Roads Service we will publicise this information as and when it is received. If you intend to come to Larne Town for race day, we advise you to park in carparks located around Victoria Road, Redlands Estate, and if you intend to park in town carparks please plan to arrive before mid-day! For more information, please do not hesitate to contact one of our Events Team.

April-June 2014

Standard PVC cycling sculptures will be given to local artists and local schools to decorate in their own style. Once completed, these will go on display in various locations throughout the Larne Borough from April – June. A map of the unique bicycle art trail will be created. When this outdoor exhibition has finished these scultpures will be then auctioned off for charity.

There is still an opportunioty to sponsor one of these sculptures, with the proceeds going to charity! To find out more, contact our events team now!

March 2014

Thank you to all the local primary schools in Larne Borough who took part in our ‘design a cycle jersey’ competition. Templates of a cycling jersey were given out to all primary school children in the borough and we received thousands of entries back in. After some difficult decisions, the winners were:

Kate Ewings St Anthony’s Primary

Ciara Gault Larne and Inver Primary School

Ciaran O Neil St John’s Primary School

Abbey McKeown Olderfleet Primary School

These winning designs will be made up and form part of the Cycling exhibition during the 12 days of pink, before being framed and presented to the winning schools. All other submitted entries will be on display at Larne Tourist Information Centre from 1st April 2014.

Some of the entries will be displayed at Larne Visitor Information Centre in April leading up to the Giro d’Italia. There will be four winning entries picked who will have their jersey made into a presentation jersey for their school.

Alongside our ‘12 Days of Pink’ it’s heartening to see the interest shown from all our local communities to get involved with the Giro d’Italia. With millions of spectators watching the race worldwide, this is a fantastic opportunity to show Larne in all its PINK glory! Our communities are committed to activate as much local interest as possible, and bring everyone out to the roadside to support the race as it passes through, creating an electric atmosphere in the process.

More details will emerge in the coming weeks, but we have confirmed Community Events in Carnlough, Glenarm, Ballygally, Drains Bay, Glynn Village and Larne Rugby Club and Ballycarry! Make sure you support their efforts and get behind these events! And remember, WEAR PINK!

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact one of our Event Team:

Rachael McMaster – Events Officer

02828 263047 mcmasterr@larne.gov.uk

Hazel Bell – Town Development Officer

02828 263041 bellh@larne.gov.uk

Ainsley McWilliams – Tourism Officer

02828 260088 mcwilliamsa@larne.gov.uk

Niall Curneen – Sports Development Officer

02828 260478 curneenn@larne.gov.uk