All you need ahead of the Burtonport Summer Festival

Burtonport is gearing up for the annual summer festival. 

The 48th Burtonport Summer Festival runs from Friday, July 19 until Saturday, July 28.  The festival will be officially opened by The Scór Group and a week of nightly outdoor music and children’s events will ensue. 

There is a pre-festival event, on Thursday evening, where The Burtonport Variety Group will pay tribute to the late Councillor Noreen McGarvey and a memorial plaque will be unveiled. 

On the first day, The Blunderbuss Trail will take off from The Viking House Hotel at noon.  At 2pm the Burtonport Harbour Heritage Walk will take you through local history, a meeting point at the festival platform. From 4:30pm until 6:30pm there will be a children’s fancy dress disco at St Columba's Community Centre. That evening, a drive-in bingo will be held at Central Park. The outdoor music will kick off at 8pm with the Notionz and that night there will be 50/50 bingo, a table quiz and live music in O’Donnell’s Bar and The Lobster Pot. 

Saturday will see an underage football blitz organised by Keadue Rovers at 9:30am followed by a car boot sale at the Harbour Car Park at 11am. At midday, the Armada Trail will set off from Mullaghderg Car Park and Sea Angling will take place in tandem at the pier in Burtonport. A bonny baby show will take place in St Columbas Community Centre at 2pm and a family walking treasure hunt in the gift shop at 3pm. At 8pm a community parade will take to the streets and the daily 50/50 bingo will follow at 9pm where the official opening ceremony will also be held at the festival platform. Live music will follow with The ‘Nite Fever’ band and local pubs will also have live music.

The following day, a festival mass will take place at St Columba's Church followed by a 5km walk with the Rosses Ramblers from the Wild Atlantic Way sign. At 1pm a visit to the Ballymanus Mine Disaster will take place, meeting at Mullaghderg followed by the Annual Blessing of the Boats at the main harbour. There will be an evening of country music at the festival platform, from 3-5pm there will be a country show with the likes of Claudia Buckley, Hugo Dunkin and Jim Devine, then, an open-air concert with Glór Tíre runner up Chelsea Evans from 5:30 - 7:30pm. At 8pm the Glór Tíre winner, Jason MaCahill will perform. 

Every night 50/50 bingo and live music in O’Donnells and The Lobster Pot will take place. 

Monday has a children's beach day in-store from 12pm at Keadue Beach. Then, an open mic session at the Wheelhouse from 2-4pm, along with another Burtonport Heritage Walk at 2:30pm. Heat one of its a knockout will take place at the car park followed by outdoor music from DJ Malachy. 

On Tuesday, The Port-Olympics will take place at Rutland from 11am and then an open mic session at the Wheelhouse. A magical mystery history tour will take you by bus around the locality and into the past at 2:30pm. Then at 7:30pm a 5k road race will start at the Community Centre at 7:30pm. That night, there will be an open-air concert and a traditional Irish Night at the Lobster Pot - outdoor crab boil and Irish Dancing. 

The next day,  at Keaue Beach there will be a well-being morning, with yoga and meditation and then a carnival day at the community centre from 11am to 1pm. At 3pm children’s novelty events and knockout will be held at the festival platform and a guided coach tour titled Extraordinary Women will take you around the Rosses and Gweedore. The annual pet show will kick off at 5pm and heat two of the knockout will follow at 7pm. Then at 7:30pm a 10kn cycle time trail will take off from the community centre. Followed by an outdoor concert with Ben Carr, live music and bingo. 

Thursday is “Labhair Gaeilge Linn” and the whole day is dedicated to Irish language events. Kicking off at 11am with art led by Brian Byrne, 11:45am will see stories shared at the railway, at midday, an island trip to Inishfree will take place and the open mic session at The Wheelhouse from 2-4pm. There will be an evening of Irish culture music and dancing at the festival platform followed by a car treasure hunt. After that, at 6:45pm the Rosses pop Up Choir will entertain the crowds at the festival car park. That night, There will be a céilí followed by an outdoor concert with Keltic Knights.

On Friday, there will be a famine and fever trail, a children's sports day and an island trip to Rutland all at 12pm. The knockout final will take place at 7:30pm and then at 9:30pm ‘Tina Simply The Best’ will perform an open-air concert.

On the last day, at midday, there will be a banshee trail, an island trip to Inishkerragh and a ladies' married v single football match. Finishing off with the daily 50/50 bingo at 9pm that night. 

Now in its 48th year, the Burtonport Festival attracts many visitors to the port annually and offers a programme packed full of events.