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.

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.

The 2027 Syllabus for Music, Speech and Modern Dance is now available for downloading:

Ballymena Festival Syllabus 2027 (Music, Speech and Modern Dance)

Entries CLOSE on 30 November 2026 for Music and Speech.

Entries for Modern Dance CLOSE on 29 January 2027.

Entries for the Modern Dance Championship will open on 30 April 2027 and will close on 21 May 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