Kilrea’s Fairy Thorn Festival returns

Running from Friday 19 – Sunday 21 August, the all-new festival coincides with the 30th anniversary of the first event which took place in 1992.

A packed programme of activities catering for all age groups and walks of life kicks off on the evening of Friday 19th, with new shows and old favourites on the schedule.

Highlights include opening and closing ceremonies, comedy night, fun fair, soccer and golf competitions, vintage rally, River Bann boat tours, exhibitions featuring local talent, live music – including the ever-popular More Power to Your Elbow - and much more throughout the whole weekend. On Sunday evening proceedings will conclude with the traditional fancy dress parade, followed by the closing ceremony and a grand finale music session.

Details are on www.thefairythorn.com website and the festival’s social media pages, including the programme.

Andrew Hickey, Chairperson of the Kilrea Community & Fairy Thorn Association, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the festival back again. During lockdown, pictures of previous festivals posted on social media got conversations going about how good the festivals of the 1990s and 2000s were, and from that initial interest we are now on the brink of bringing it back in a new format for 2022.

“The support of local people in our earlier fundraising efforts to get us started, and the sponsorship of local businesses - alongside funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council - has been phenomenal and it’s thanks to all of them that we are able to make the 2022 festival happen.

“I’d urge everyone who lives in Kilrea, its surrounding villages and towns, and even further afield to check out our programme and come along and join us in with what’s sure to be a memorable weekend in our community.”

Main sponsors of the Fairy Thorn Festival 2022 are Donaghy Bros, Europa Foods, Hutchinson Engineering, KRD Credit Union, and McIntyre’s Tools & Equipment.