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family · Wednesday 1 July 2026 · 10:30am 
Down Arts Centre Downpatrick Summer Kids Activities
At Down Arts Centre · Irish Street, Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 6AQ
At Down Arts Centre · Irish Street, Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 6AQ
Down Arts Centre runs its summer children’s programme through July and August, filling the school holidays with drama sessions, arts and craft workshops, and creative classes for kids from around four years upward. The centre has been the hub of arts life in Downpatrick since 1882 - the building started out as the town hall and has a presence on Irish Street that feels properly rooted in the town. If you have children who like making things, performing, or just getting thoroughly messy with paint and fabric, this is a reliable place to spend a morning.
The summer line-up mixes several types of activity across the weeks. Mourne Stars Speech, Drama and Performing Arts run a full week of drama, theatre-making, and performing arts for children who want to get on stage. Separate craft sessions are designed for younger kids who want to dress for mess - painting, decorating, and making their own aquarium models. There are illustration workshops led by published author and artist Kieron Black, with a focus on Manga and Japanese comic-art style, which tends to go down particularly well with older children and teens.
Sessions run from 10:30am and the programme is spread across the holiday period rather than concentrated in one week, so it is worth checking the full schedule on the Down Arts Centre website before booking. The box office can be reached by phone at 0330 137 4014. Prices vary by programme, broadly running from GBP 5 to GBP 12 per activity.
The venue itself is fully accessible, with lifts to all floors and low-level access at the box office.
Downpatrick is in Co. Down, roughly 35 kilometres south of Belfast. By car, the most direct route from Belfast is the A24 through Saintfield, which takes around 40 minutes in ordinary traffic. Street parking is available near the centre on Irish Street, and there is further car parking within a short walk in the town centre.
Translink operates bus services between Belfast (Europa Bus Centre) and Downpatrick on route 15, with a journey time of about an hour. The bus stops close to the town centre, leaving a short walk to Irish Street.
Downpatrick is the burial site of Saint Patrick and the Down Cathedral grounds, with the grave marked by a large slab, are a ten-minute walk from the arts centre. The Irish Linen Centre and the town’s streetscape along English Street are worth a slow look if you have time after a session. There is more to see in Downpatrick and across Co. Down.
Heading to Down Arts Centre in Downpatrick? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Downpatrick area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.