Here are ten exciting things to do 29 September – 5 October
Bushmills Salmon & Whiskey Festival, Bushmills, County Antrim, 3 – 5 October. Bushmills Salmon & Whiskey Festival will make a welcome return this autumn to celebrate the food, drink and local heritage of the area. The programme includes a wide variety of activities and events such as fantastic food and drink samplings and cookery demonstrations from local chefs and celebrity chefs – The Hungry Hooker and Suzie Lee. There will be hosted foodie experiences, heritage walking tours, live music throughout the town, street entertainment, a range of fun kid’s activities, artisan market, craft activities and workshops, fly casting/tying and much more.- Shorelife Celebration – Mount Stewart and Castle Espie, Newtownards & Comber, County Down, 4 October. The Shorelife Celebration event offers a rare chance to experience the wonders of the Ards and North Down Shoreline. The day will be filled with fun activities, engaging talks and tours, and live music. Lots of extra entertainment, kids’ crafts, and activities for families and nature lovers alike.
- National Poetry Day at Ulster Museum, Belfast, 2 October. Let your imagination run free in Discover Art on Level 5. Read poems inspired by the natural world and explore the wonders that shaped them in Discover Nature on Level 3. Connect with the past through poetry and have fun with traditional toys and games in Discover History on Level 1.
- Curator Tour: Ulster Emigration and Black History at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, County Tyrone, 5 October. Join Liam Corry, Curator of Emigration, as he delves into the marginalised histories of enslaved people of African descent. You’ll finish the tour at the Rogan House, one of their most important exhibit buildings and home of the Rogan family who developed a Tennessee plantation after emigrating from Co. Tyrone.
- Fermanagh Live | FLive, various venues, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, 30 September – 5 October. Enjoy Fermanagh Live Arts Festival, an annual gathering of music, literature and laughs by the lakes. Set across an array of local venues, the festival showcases both local talent and international acts.
- Portrush Beer Festival, County Antrim, 3 – 4 October. The festival will feature a number of local breweries showcasing some of their best ales and beers. Browse your way around the bar areas sampling through the beer list and selecting your favourites. The festival will also have food available featuring local traders who will serve a range of dishes to enjoy with your beer.
- Seamus Heaney Exhibition at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy, County Londonderry, visit website for open dates and times. Immerse yourself in the extraordinary world of Seamus Heaney and explore through his words and imagination, the people and place that so inspired him.
- Tyrone Farmer’s Market, Food and Craft Markets, Dungannon, County Tyrone, 4 October. Tyrone Farmer’s Market Ltd hold food and craft markets on the first and third Saturdays of every month, in Tesco carpark in Dungannon, from 8.30am until 12.30pm. There are 30 stalls selling artisan food and hand-crafted gifts and homewares, from local producers.
- The Witches are BACK! at The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Armagh, County Armagh, 4 October. Join them this Halloween, light the cursed Black Flame Candle and breathe new life into the old. This Salem Trio is up to no good once again. Join them (with caution) as they use their most powerful magic to become young and beautiful forever. Can you stop them? Suitable for children aged 3+. This event will take place in the studio theatre with an unreserved, tiered seating layout.
- Wild about Poetry, Slieve Gullion Forest Park – Forest Activities, Killeavy, County Armagh, 4 October. Celebrate National Poetry Week and World Animal Day by joining in some exciting creative writing activities led by local poet, Arlene Pattison. Unleash your creativity and allow your imagination to run wild.
For more information on what’s on, or to plan your next giant adventure in Northern Ireland, visit discovernorthernireland.com. Subject to availabilities with select dates.