Saturday Mic Live - Portadown Town Centre

Saturday Mic Live is a free outdoor music event that takes over Portadown Town Centre Plaza from 11am to 4pm, giving local performers a proper stage in the middle of the town rather than tucked away on a concert hall bill. Organised by Portadown Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Portadown Music Centre and backed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, it launched in 2025 as a way to get people into the town centre and keep them there - and it does exactly that. If you like live music and enjoy wandering around a market town on a Saturday, this is a relaxed few hours with no ticket to buy.

What to expect

The Plaza fills with performers covering a good spread of styles. The 2025 launch featured an Armagh vocalist, a two-piece rock and roll act, an acoustic guitarist, a saxophonist, and the Ukulele Rockstars - so the bill mixes original artists with crowd-pleasing acts rather than being a single-genre showcase. Alongside the music there are walk-about characters moving through the crowd and a musical scavenger hunt that runs across the town centre via your phone, with prizes for the first three finishers. Performances run across the full five hours, so you can drop in for an hour or stay the afternoon without missing the main action. The August date - Saturday 23 August - is paired with the Portadown Artisan Market at Magowan Buildings Car Park, which makes it a fuller day out if you are visiting for both.

Getting there

Portadown is straightforward to reach by rail. Translink runs regular services on the Belfast - Dublin Enterprise line with stops at Portadown, and the station is one of the busier ones in Northern Ireland with good facilities including lifts to all platforms. From Belfast it is roughly 35 minutes; from Newry around 25 minutes. The station is a short walk from the town centre plaza. By road, the M1 motorway connects Portadown to Belfast in under 40 minutes. Town centre car parks are nearby, with overflow parking at Wilson Street (247 spaces) and Corcrain Road (347 spaces) if the central options fill up.

While you’re in Portadown

The town sits at the southern end of Lough Neagh and has a solid run of independent shops, cafes and pubs along the main streets - plenty to fill time before or after the music. There is more to see in Portadown and across Co. Armagh.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday 26 July 2026, 11am to 4pm (second date: Saturday 23 August 2026)
• Venue: Portadown Town Centre Plaza, Portadown, Co. Armagh
• Price: Free - no booking required
• Check the Portadown Chamber of Commerce for any lineup announcements closer to the date