Food Festivals & Events
Not only do Northern Irish people have a fondness for eating, but there’s always an excuse to celebrate food too! Every year there is a plethora of annual events celebrating local foods. Both the apple blossom season is marked with tours, tastings and markets in Armagh. Our fishing heritage is celebrated with a summer of festivals, cookery demonstrations, and competitions in fishing ports.
Beekeepers, vegetable-growers, and home brewers have the opportunity to display their skills at the light-hearted Garden Gourmet Festival in Botanic Gardens in September. Those with an appetite for oysters and stout can compete for international championship titles at the hugely popular Hillsborough Oyster Festival. At Christmas time Belfast City Hall hosts a Continental Market, where glüwein, German sausages, pretzels and sugary sweets enhance the Christmas sparkle of the city centre.
Apple Blossom Festival, Co Armagh, May - Celebrate the beautiful apple blossom season in County Armagh www.armagh.gov.uk
Auld Lammas Fair, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, August – Ireland’s oldest traditional market fair. Sample the local specialities, ‘dulse’ a dried edible seaweed, and the deliciously sweet chewy ‘yellow man’, made from a closely guarded secret recipe www.moyle.council.org
Hilden Beer Festival, Lisburn, Co Antrim, August – With more than 30 international beers on offer, this weekend event should whet the whistle www.hildenbrewery.co.uk
The Festival of Fish, Co Down, August – Seafood tasting, competitions and festive menus, the four fishing villages of Kilkeel, Annalong, Ardglass, Portavogie celebrate seafood over the bank holiday weekend in August.
Hillsborough International Oyster Festival, Hillsborough, Co Down, September – Held every first weekend in September in the historic village of Hillsborough, the festival features local food and light hearted events such as the World Oyster Eating Championships www.hillsboroughoysterfestival.com
Belfast Food & Drink Festival, Belfast, Co Antrim, September – A month long celebration of all things gastronomic across the city of Belfast www.gotobelfast.com/foodanddrink.
Garden Gourmet, Botanic Gardens Belfast, Co Antrim, September – This vibrant and colourful event combines Northern Ireland’s largest flower show with an entertaining food and drink festival www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events
Continental Market at Belfast City Hall, Co Antrim, November and December – This vibrant market offers a fusion of tempting continental and speciality foods as well as some local delights www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events
St George's Christmas Fair and Market, Belfast, Co Antrim, December – Enjoy the best seasonal food, tastes and smells brought by local producers in Northern Ireland’s best food market www.belfastcity.gov.uk/stgeorgesmarket/events