The Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech and Dance takes place each February and March at the Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena and other local venues. We offer young performers the chance to take part in music, speech, drama, and dance, celebrating talent and a shared love of the performing arts.

The 2027 Syllabus for Music, Speech & Drama, and Modern Dance will be published on 21 September 2027, when the online entry system will also open. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will unfortunately be unable to run the Traditional Music Section in 2027. There will also be no Festival Showcase in 2027.

2027 Festival (Provisional Dates)

• 6 February: Irish Dancing (Confined)

• 8–13 February: Irish Dancing

• 15–20 February: Vocal Music

• 22–27 February: Instrumental Music

• 23 February – 2 March: Speech & Drama

• 4–13 March: Modern Dance

• 29 May: Modern Dance Championship