This year’s Easter activities in Ards & North Down will be bigger and better than ever! Celebrations will stretch right across the weekend.

Starting on Good Friday in Newtownards a colourful carnival parade will celebrate the awakening of Spring with budding flowers, Spring street art, fires and fairies Look out for mythical and magical creatures, a giant farmer and his animals and fantastic live music!

In Conway Square 12pm-5pm there will be the finest street theatre including interactive 3D art workshops, Bruce Airhead and his six-foot balloon, and junk orchestral duo Bang On. The Spectacular Spring Carnival will leave at 3pm, details of the route can be found on www.visitardsandnorthdown.com

On Easter Sunday, there will be plenty to do at Cockle Row between 2-4pm with Easter crafts, Plant and Play garden workshop, archery, traditional music and Tales of the Wild Animal Roadshow

Easter Monday in Bangor at 3pm the superb Springtime Carnival will leave Bangor Castle and travel through the town for all to marvel!

Also on Easter Monday Moto Trail NI Motorcycle club will be holding the biggest Bangor Trial bike display ever in the McKee Clock Arena with an eye opening daredevil course. This year’s trial bike rider highlight will be multi-award winner and current World number 2 Adam ‘The Destroyer’ Raga. Adam is no stranger to Bangor having made his arena debut at the tender age of 16. The event will start at 12 o’clock with two qualifying heats of breath-taking stunts and manoeuvres before the final at 4pm. This show is not to be missed!

The 7 times World Champion will also be running a Trials School while he is here, for further information log on to www.trialstar.co.uk

Lots more family fun will take place from 12pm-5pm with a free Land train on the promenade and an array of street art and live cartoon drawings at Project 24. Everybody gets the chance to take part in these amazing art pieces, you won’t be able to resist stopping to take part, or popping back to see how things are going the order of the day. The North Down Museum will have a fabulous Easter Trial. Tickets £1. Follow clues throughout the museum in order to solve the puzzle and get your Easter egg. Afterwards make Easter crafts to take home. A great time for all the family!

So spring into springtime with these fantastic events throughout the borough this Easter weekend!

For further information, check www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk