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music · Saturday 22 August 2026 · Various 
Clandeboye Festival 2026
At The Courtyard, Clandeboye Estate · Clandeboye Estate, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 1RN
At The Courtyard, Clandeboye Estate · Clandeboye Estate, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 1RN
Clandeboye Festival marks its 25th anniversary in 2026, running eight days of concerts in the Courtyard at Clandeboye Estate outside Bangor from Saturday 22 to Saturday 29 August. Pianist Barry Douglas founded the festival in 2001 alongside Camerata Ireland, the chamber orchestra he also leads, and the programme has grown into one of the more substantial classical music events anywhere in Northern Ireland, with 13 lunchtime and evening concerts across the week.
The lineup draws heavily on alumni of the Camerata Ireland Academy, the training programme Douglas runs for young professional musicians, alongside Douglas himself on piano. Confirmed performers include violinist Mairéad Hickey, violist Ed Creedon and clarinettist William Curran, with eighteen further musicians across the week’s programme covering strings, wind and piano. The format mixes orchestral concerts, solo recitals, chamber music and a family concert aimed at introducing children to live classical performance, spread across daily lunchtime and evening slots rather than one single headline night. The Courtyard setting at Clandeboye, inside the walled grounds of the estate, gives the festival a more intimate feel than a concert hall, with the option of a Festival Saver ticket offering 20 percent off all 13 concerts for anyone planning to attend more than once.
Clandeboye Estate is on the outskirts of Bangor, with parking on site within fifty metres of the entrance and step-free access to most of the festival areas. It is a short drive from Bangor town centre and easily reached from Belfast via the A2.
Clandeboye sits just outside Bangor proper, so it is easy to combine a concert with time in the town itself, its seafront, marina and shops all a few minutes away by car. There is more to see in Bangor and across Co. Down.
Heading to The Courtyard, Clandeboye Estate in Bangor? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Bangor area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.