Bangor will be a hive of activity over Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June when popular maritime festival, Sea Bangor, sails into town with a host of entertainment and activities for all the family!

Organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council with support from Bangor Chamber of Commerce, South Eastern Regional College (SERC), Bangor Marina and Translink, this year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever in what will be one of Bangor’s busiest weekends of the year.

Thousands of visitors from the Borough and beyond are expected to descend on the seaside town over the course of the two days to see lots of entertainment including water and aerial displays.

The AeroSuperBatics Wingwalking Team of high flyers are among the main attractions. They will swoop over the lough in their modified Breitling Stearman biplanes at 4.30pm on the Saturday and 3pm on the Sunday, performing incredible feats in the sky in what will be a spectacular aerial display above Bangor.

A bit closer to earth, you can watch Daniel Doyle create stunning sculptures made out of sand near the entrance to the Long Hole while the Eisenhower Pier will host the popular Rowing Challenge which features local community teams competing for the Sea Bangor Cup. Watch them battle it out for the prestigious trophy!

And if you fancy getting your feet wet, you can take part in one of the Royal Yachting Association’s sailing experiences on the Saturday or try kayaking on the Sunday. There will be boat tours on offer too, allowing you to explore Bangor’s coastline from the sea.

Those keen to keep their feet firmly on dry land can visitthe Army Reserve Village in the Marina car park or head to the Tented Village in Quay Street car park. The Tiddler’s Tent Silent Disco is open for all the family while the ‘Under the Sea’ creative experience marquee will inspire and engage.

If you fancy a gentle ride, you can check out the funfair rides or jump on the Panoramic Wheel and get a bird’s eye view of the marina. You might even be able to spot Detritus of the Deep from above. Having exited the depths of the ocean, he’ll be roaming around the crowds on his stilts in an attempt to find out why his sea home is being destroyed by pollution.

All that activity will get those tummies rumbling and the Sea Bangor Café will serve a variety of food with a focus on local business and local produce. Plus, there will be cookery demonstrations and competitions hosted by SERC, including ‘Bangor’s Best Balti’, helping to find the master chefs in our midst.

The food stalls, street theatre and live music from different local bands in the Open House Shanty Shack will all add to the bustling atmosphere so make sure you come to Sea Bangor during the first weekend in June!

Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival is set to make a splash when it returns to Ballycastle and Rathlin Island later this month.

From May 24th – June 2nd get closer to the maritime heritage of this very special part of the Causeway Coast and Glens through an exciting and engaging programme of events.

The celebration is packed full of seafaring, food experiences, artisan produce, live music and lots more on water and dry land while a mesmerising range of sailing vessels will bring the story of sea travel to life. For a must-see sight, watch as a flotilla makes its way across Rathlin Sound on Friday 31st May. A Viking longboat, drontheims and currachs, including the magnificent Colmcille and Menapian which at almost 40ft long are two of the largest of their kind in Northern Ireland, all feature in this magnificent fleet.

Looking ahead to the festivities, a spokesperson for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said: “Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival is a very special event, set in one of the Borough’s most scenic locations. We have worked closely with our community partners to deliver an exciting showcase of maritime connections which have brought Ballycastle and Rathlin Island together through generations. The Festival brings this to life through food, music, dance, arts, crafts, boat trips and watersports and there will be plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in the very best of what the area has to offer.”

For foodies, the Ulster Chowder Championship is a must see in the Cookery Theatre on Bank Holiday Monday (May 27th). This is a fabulous opportunity to celebrate our sea food and skilled chefs. With a chance to compete in the world famous Kinsale competition next year it’s all to cook for in the seafront marquee!

New this year, The School of Irish Archaeology brings ‘The Big Dig’ to the festival.  This fun hands-on workshop is educational, engaging and interactive offering the experience of a real life dig for Viking treasures and artefacts. Guided by a team of professionals, this dig gives children the opportunity to experience what it is like to be an archaeologist whilst learning about the lifestyles of their Viking ancestors.

On Rathlin Island, take an evening tour of the West Light Seabird Centre with the RSPB and watch as the red beam shines out across the sea over one of the biggest seabird breeding colonies in Europe. Visit an art installation in the unique surroundings of a cliff-edge Coastguard hut or meet the crew of the Mamoch Mor Currach and learn more about this inspiring community-built traditional boat for a taste of contemporary maritime culture.

For all of this and much more make sure that you experience Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival for yourself between Friday 24th May and Sunday 2nd June. As the programme is subject to change due to tides and weather conditions please follow the festival’s social media channels on Twitter (@RathlinSoundMF) and Facebook (@RathlinSoundMaritimeFestival) for the latest updates. To view the full programme of events go to www.rathlinsoundmaritimefestival.com.

National Theatre Wales kicks off its first ever island of Ireland tour at the MAC on 22-23 May with politically charged play, Cotton Fingers.

Written by award-winning Welsh writer, Rachel Trezise and starring Northern Irish actor, Amy Molloy, Cotton Fingers tells the story of a young woman’s journey from Belfast to Wales to access free NHS abortion care. 

Molloy, who stared in Prime Cut’s Tejas Verdes at the MAC in 2013 and in Cyprus Avenue with renowned actor Stephen Rea in 2017, now performs in this bold, one-woman show about the cycles of secrecy and the power young women hold over their futures, directed by National Theatre Wales’ Associate Director, Julia Thomas.

Written during the Irish referendum to repeal the 8th amendment in 2018, Cotton Fingers originally formed part of National Theatre Wales’ NHS70 Festival, celebrating the National Health Service’s 70th birthday.

The female led production will tour to venues in Belfast, Derry~Londonderry, Dublin and Bray from 22 May until 1 June 2019, marking one year since the historic referendum took place.

Announcing the tour, National Theatre Wales’ Artistic Director, Kully Thiarai said: “We are very excited to be making our debut across the Irish Sea, bringing this funny, poignant but important production to audiences in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Marking a year since the historic referendum, Cotton Fingers highlights the stark differences between women’s rights on either side of the border. It’s a fantastic work of snappy Welsh writing, made by an extraordinary trio of talented women.”

National Theatre Wales is a multi-award-winning theatre company that has been making English-language productions in locations all over Wales, the UK, internationally and online since March 2010.

Tickets for Cotton Fingers at the MAC are on sale now at the maclive.com or call box office on 028 90235053.

Following a hugely successful run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018, multi-award-winning theatre company, Two Destination Language will visit the MAC on 11 May with a powerful one-woman performance, Fallen Fruit.

Based on the real-life memories of Bulgarian performer Katherina Radeva, Fallen Fruit is a beautiful and captivating story of love, breaking free and Europe, set in 1989 against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Told by a seven-year-old girl, a couple in turmoil and a sharp-tongued 80s game show host, all played by Katherina, Fallen Fruit tells the story of Bulgaria’s acceleration away from its past in the communist bloc, into the uncertain future of today.

As Britain prepares to leave the EU and across Europe people celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the end of the Cold War, the story takes us back to another society on the brink of change.

Described as “evocative and full of insight”, Fallen Fruit is a show about complex choices, barriers and walls in our minds and in our cities.

Katherina, together with dramaturgy expert, Alister Lownie make up Two Destination Language, with Alister’s Scottish heritage and Katherina’s Bulgarian background informing their visually rich and stimulating work.

Tickets for Fallen Fruit at the MAC are on sale now at themaclive.com or call box office on 028 90235053.

A story of love and betrayal set against the backdrop of The Floral Hall, written by Brenda Winter-Palmer developed by Antoinette Morelli and The Karma Theatre Company.

KEEP TELLING ME LIES

Of all the iconic buildings in Belfast, the now derelict Floral Hall still stands; a monument to the history of life, love, loss and the music of the Showband era.

‘Keep Telling Me Lies’ tells of the journey of two Belfast women. Set against the backdrop of the crumbling Floral Hall, they recall the fateful night they met their future musician husbands.

Old grudges resurface and sparks fly as they reminisce about the lifestyles of their globetrotting husbands who experienced fame and fortune while the wives they left behind struggled to bring up their young families, working all day and lonely all night.

This is a story, driven by the music of the Showbands, the people who made the magic happen and those left on the sidelines.

Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th May 7.45pm. Matinee Saturday 11th May – 2pm.

Tickets Are Now on Sale and Available from The Mac Box Office

Tel: 028 9023 5053