Donaghadee Lights Up This Weekend!

Excitement is building as this weekend sees Donaghadee ‘Light Up’ with a fantastic programme of events from 5-8 September.

Duncan Campbell (Bull & Claw), Patrick Rowan (Harbour & Co), Zoe McCleery (Marketing Manager, Copeland Spirits), John McFerran (Pier 36) and Jamie Grant (Lighthouse Bar and Grill) are ready to raise the temperatures at the Donaghadee Lights Up Festival (5-8 September).

The festivities commence with a scrumptious Taste of Donaghadee food tour on Thursday 5 September at 6pm. The tour will include visits to the new Copeland Distillery as well as Bull & Claw, Harbour and Company, Lighthouse Bar and Grill, plus Pier 36.

A ‘deelicious’ menu has been constructed by the town’s top chefs with a tantalising course at each venue satisfying even the most discerning of food connoisseurs. Limited tickets are still available at £62pp.

If you fancy setting sail on the ocean and listening to ‘stories of old’ told through popular sea shanties, you can climb aboard at 7pm on Friday (6 Sept) or at 2pm on Saturday (7 Sept) and Sunday (8 Sept). Tickets cost £12 per adult and £6 per child.

Or if you prefer to keep your feet firmly on dry land, the Historic Walking Tour of Donaghadee will entertain and inform by giving you a glimpse into the town’s fascinating past. Hear tales of Vikings, the 12th century Norman outpost and the slave ship that sailed into the harbour during the 18th century.

These one-hour tours leave from Donaghadee Community Centre on Friday (6pm), Saturday (4pm) and Sunday (3.30pm). Tickets costs £3 per person.

Saturday evening in Donaghadee will be buzzing when the Red Hot Chilli Pipers take to the stage in The Commons with a free show that’s so hot, it reportedly carries its own health warning!

From 7.30pm to 9.30pm, the Scottish bagpipes and drums will raise the cooling September temperatures a notch higher as they entertain the crowds before a fantastic fireworks finale provides the perfect send-off for festival-goers.

FREE buses will operate from The Commons to Ards and Bangor Bus stations following the event at 10pm and 10.30pm. This is an outdoor event so please dress accordingly.

Please note that The Commons car park will be closed from midday on Friday (6 Sept) until 10am on Sunday (8 Sept), with no exception.

The concert and fireworks display are free to attend but booking for food, boat and walking tours is essential. Tickets are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/ardsandnorthdown.