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music · Friday 31 July 2026 · Various 
Around the Town Festival - Carrickfergus
At Various venues · Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim
At Various venues · Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim
Carrickfergus gets nine days of live music each summer when the Around the Town Festival takes over the town centre. Now in its third year, the festival grew out of a local ambition to prove that Carrickfergus could support serious entertainment - and it did, with more than 1,000 people attending the inaugural 2024 edition and three-quarters of events selling out. The 2026 programme runs 31 July to 8 August across 31 events, drawing on genres from jazz, blues and folk to brass band, traditional music, pop and stand-up comedy. It suits music lovers who want a relaxed, community-rooted festival rather than a field-and-fence affair.
The festival spreads across multiple venues in the town centre rather than a single stage, which gives it a different character to most summer events - you move between rooms and spaces, each with its own atmosphere. The Town Hall hosts the bigger showcase evenings; the Civic Centre takes lunchtime recitals; and several of the town’s pubs carry their own strand of the programme. Previous years have featured a Concert Orchestra, ukulele bands, silver bands, jazz ensembles, open mic nights, silent discos, vocal groups, and traditional session players, alongside stand-up comedy and family events.
New for 2026 is The Blues Café, a dedicated night of blues music added to the line-up. The festival closes with a headline Finale at Shaftesbury Park on Saturday 8 August, with tribute act The Björn Identity (ABBA) topping the bill alongside local and regional acts. The Sounds Like Craic competition gives local performers a platform to compete in front of a live audience - a popular feature in previous years.
The festival is organised by Positive Carrickfergus in partnership with Déjà Vu Promotions, with support from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
Carrickfergus sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, about 14 miles northeast of Belfast city centre. Translink operates a regular train service from Belfast Great Victoria Street and Belfast Central to Carrickfergus station; journey time is around 30 minutes and the station is a short walk from the town centre. By car, the A2 coast road from Belfast is the direct route. Town centre parking is available on and around Marine Highway and at the Civic Centre car park off Joymount; the festival uses Joymount Carpark as an outdoor performance space, so check ahead for closures on event days.
The castle on the lough shore is one of the best-preserved Norman fortresses in Ireland, and the harbour beside it is worth half an hour before or after any evening event. There is more to see in Carrickfergus and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Various venues in Carrickfergus? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Carrickfergus area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.