Culture in the Park - Lurgan Park Family Festival

Each September, Lurgan Park fills with pipe bands, Indian dancers, Irish step dancers and families spread out on blankets in the sunshine. Culture in the Park is a free outdoor festival put on by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, and it is one of those events that earns its keep simply by putting very different communities on the same stage in the same park for an afternoon. It suits families with young children, anyone curious about the borough’s communities, and people who want a good afternoon out without spending a penny.

What to expect

The festival runs from 1pm to 6pm across the park, with a main stage carrying a programme of live performance that shifts between styles throughout the afternoon. Previous years have featured Ravara Pipe Band, The Kilted Dance Company, Trim the Velvet Irish Dancers, Chinese Culture and Dance NI, Dontham Indian Dancers, and Magwere alongside community performers - local school pupils, the Markethill Ulster-Scots Highland Dancers, Co. Armagh Junior Drum Majors, and a Banbridge vocal and ukulele group called Strings and Sings. The mix shifts year to year, but the range of traditions on one bill is reliably wide.

Away from the stage there are international food stalls, interactive workshops and family craft activities. Past events drew around 1,000 people. The ground is grass throughout, so a picnic blanket is worth packing. The event is funded through the T:BUC District Council Good Relations Programme, and admission is free with no booking required.

Getting there

Lurgan is on the M1 motorway corridor between Belfast and Portadown, roughly 25 miles south-west of Belfast. By car, take the Lurgan junction and follow signs toward the town centre; Windsor Avenue borders the park and there is free street parking along Windsor Avenue and surrounding residential streets. By train, Lurgan station is on the Belfast - Dublin Enterprise line and is about a 15-minute walk from the park entrance. Translink bus services also connect Lurgan to Portadown and Craigavon.

While you’re in Lurgan

Lurgan Park itself is one of the largest public parks in Northern Ireland, with a boating lake, walled garden and tree-lined walks that reward a longer visit before or after the festival. There is more to see in Lurgan and across Co. Armagh.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday 13 September 2026, 1pm to 6pm
• Price: Free - no booking required
• Venue: Lurgan Park, Windsor Avenue, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, BT67 9BG
• Organiser: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
• Check for updates: armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk
• Bring: A picnic blanket; the event is entirely outdoors on grass