Here are ten exciting things to do 10 – 16 July
Belfast Summer Cinema, Belfast, County Antrim, 15-16 July. Belfast One has partnered with Belfast Film Festival to organise this free, fun weekend, taking place on the grounds of City Hall. Cool FM presenters will be on hand to entertain audiences throughout the 2 days. In between movies look out for lots of animated family fun from live entertainment and face painters! Belfast Summer Cinema-goers will be given a special wrist band to avail of special offers around the City Centre.- Ulster Fleadh, Dromore, County Tyrone, 16 July. Visit The Fleadh, a provincial festival full of traditional music, song, dance and the language for Ulster. Fleadh Cheoil, which literally means “feast of music”, is a magnificent mix of competitions and cultural events which showcase each element of Irish traditional culture and more recently, incorporating a range of other cultures also.
- Family Fun at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh, County Armagh, 11-16 July. Visit the Armagh Planetarium for some family fun with science and nature. The Bricks 4 Kidz Workshop is a fun space-themed brick-building workshops, where kids can make their very own cosmic creations out of colourful LEGO® bricks. Let your imagination run wild and be inspired by everything from the planets and stars to astronomers, rockets and everything in between.
- Lady of The Lake Festival, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh, 10-16 July. The Transformers have crash landed to Earth and now they are taking over Irvinestown. This year’s Lady of the Lake Festival theme is ‘TRANSFORMERS TAKE IRVINESTOWN’. This summer’s Lady of the Lake Festival will provide fun for all, with the return of popular events including the Donkey Derby, Traditional Fair Day and Cross-Community and Inter-Denomination Service on White Island, to name a few, along with some new events.
- Wildflower Crown Making Workshop, Bushmills, County Antrim, 11 July. Let your creativity run wild and join the Nature Engagement Officer, Dr Cliff Henry, for a Wildflower Crown Making Workshop! This is a fantastic opportunity to get creative and learn a fun, new skill, whilst connecting with nature. This workshop provides an opportunity to learn about the vital conservational work that goes into maintaining the wildflower meadows at the World Heritage Site. The group will be led by Dr Cliff to a nearby wildflower meadow approximately 300 metres from the Visitor Centre.
- Summer Family Fun at Mount Stewart, Newtownards, County Down, 10-16 July. Create, explore, move, wonder, and make-believe at the Summer of Family Fun at Mount Stewart. This is the perfect chance to try it all, find your favourite, come back again and again. Brush up on your football skills with Galactico Soccer, spark your imagination with Up To High Doh Theatre Company, go wild in the woods, head to the Nursery in the House for traditional games, try some traditional lawn games and have a go at orienteering with the summer lake trail and much more. There is something for everyone.
- Beer Masterclass, Derry~Londonderry, County Londonderry, 14 July. The Beer Masterclass at the Walled City Brewery is perfect for craft beer aficionados, or anyone with a thirst for a fun experience and really good beer. This experience will start with a quick tour of this famous liquid’s history, all the way from 9000 BC to the present day, via Ancient Rome and 1920s Prohibition. And then the fun starts, when it’s your chance to get hands-on with the ingredients and make your own micro-beer. You’ll also get the chance to sample 10 different beers at the beer tasting.
- Orchard/Cider Experience and Cooking Demo with Granny’s Traditional Griddle Bread, Portadown, County Armagh, 15 July. Enjoy a fully immersive orchard/cider experience in the company of the McKeever Family. Walk through their various orchard plantations and witness first-hand the beautiful apple blossom in May or the laden apple trees at harvest. Learn about the whole craft cider/apple juice production from start to finish, enjoy tastings of their award-winning products. Take time to sit back and relax in their new glass fronted Bramley Barn with a cuppa along with granny’s traditional griddle breads, cheese and chutneys.
- Kids Choccy Rocky Experience, Castlerock, County Londonderry, 14 July. Join The Chocolate Manor team in Castlerock for the tastiest kids experience on the Causeway Coast! In this one-hour kids only experience, participants will make three fabulous chocolate creations using the finest Belgian chocolate. They will be offered a hot chocolate while their creations set and then package them up to take home and enjoy.
- Botanical Art Taster Session with Ali Walker, Newtownards, County Down, 12 July. Join local Botanical Artist Ali Walker as she gives a taster session in the art of drawing plants from life in Mount Stewart’s beautiful gardens. The event will begin with a short garden tour led by Rob Wilson, Assistant Head Gardener, during which you can watch out for a potential botanical subject. Ali will then demonstrate basic botanical drawing techniques that you can use to illustrate your chosen flower or plant.
For more information on what’s on or to plan a short break in Northern Ireland, visit https://discovernorthernireland.com/