Set in Delamont Park near Strangford Lough (the sound blasted loud and clear down by the Lough…read moreaccording to people who were there), Willowstone has a nice intimate little setting, a Walled Garden, an art areas (throwing paint is very therapeutic) and a stage shaped like a castle! It is a really great place for a festival, and this year really built on the success of the first year with great local acts like Panama Kings and Cashier No. 9, and local heros the Answer headlining. The tickets are reasonably priced, with £32 for a nights camping very reasonable! There is a nice relaxed and unpretentious vibe; everyone is here to have a good time together, not to pose and cause trouble! I would like to take this opportunity to remind you all to practice safe sun while festivaling- wear sunscreen and a hat, enjoy the shade and drink water! As for the other safety tips for visits, adhere to the wise words of the famous Tim Westwood- strap it up before you slap it up!

The Ard's Art Centre was a surprising and rewarding find for me over the past year or so. A friend…read moreof a friend works there and had often said to call in when passing and so one day a few weeks ago I did. I discovered not only a town hall but several large spaces which are used for various events from all around Northern Ireland. There are gallery spaces for local artists to display their work, large function rooms housing everything from face painting in the summer to guitar festivals in the Autumn. The building is large, bright and welcoming so if you are in Ards for a few hours and want to know what to do call in and the friendly staff (ask for Graham!) will give you leaflets about local attractions.

Belfast Mela (Mela; Indian - to meet/ gathering) is the annual festival of international culture…read morewhich celebrates traditional arts, dance, music and fun from over thirty countries. Each year the Mela is given different themes which has previously been; Bollywood, Health & Well-Being, Caring for our Environment and Asian Fashion. This year we are being treated to a traditional Indian circus! The event aims to promote the understanding of different cultures and runs workshop and information days relating to this. This year it's being held on Sunday 29th August, 12-6pm on the Great Lawn at Botanic Gardens, Belfast. The festival is organised by ArtEkta (Northern Ireland's leading ethnic arts organisation) and is run entirely by local volunteers. It's hugely popular, having attracted over 50,000 visitors in the past three years. It's a great cause so any support is much welcome. If you wish to find out more information about the festival, email info@belfastmela.org.uk or call 028 9023 1381

What a superb setting for the Dalriada Festival. Great castle, grounds and tea room. Facilities and…read moreamenities are fantastic. Lots to see, do, experience, eat, drink and be merry. Great entertainment and plenty for all ages!!! Paw Patrol was there as well as Cossack horse rider, all sorts of military displays as well as bands playing and dancers dancing. Lots of choice of food from pizza making for kids to BBQ competition, hog roast, fast food and fine foods and plenty to wash it down with!! Great craft village with very artistic people ie the authentic Indian Henna/Mehndi stand and lots of interesting wares. Definitely worth a visit.

A real collectic mix of music, food, spoken word, comedy a discussion. Parking is £5. #SFF17read more

Sunflower Fest was a brand new event on the Northern Ireland festival calendar , providing…read morefantastic weekend of live music, arts and great food in a hospitable atmosphere, which is more than can be said for a lot of festivals! It must also be said that the festival also had a wonderful cause, with all profits going to rebuilding Haiti after the devastating earthquake. Held over three-days, the focus was on showcasing some of Northern Ireland's finest bands and artists. The festival had two stages - one outdoors and the other indoor. There was a real variety of acts of all types and genres, with personal local favourites of mine Sweet Savage, Rams Pocket RADIO and Mental Deficiency showing their funky faces! The festival continued its ethical edge by encouraging as many people as possible to cycle to the festival, thought a lot of people like me had too far to travel and not enough time to journey down there, but maybe next year! Tickets were £28 for the entire weekend which was fantastic value, with individual day tickets all within a few pounds radius of £10. This was a really well run festival that had real heart, so I look forward to seeing how they build on things next year!

Without a doubt Culture Night Belfast is the best night of the year. Despite recent arts cuts…read moreCulture Night was back in September 2015 even bigger and better than before. It's an annual occurrence consisting of a full day of activities. Over 250 free arts events starting at 1pm and running until late. Belfast comes to life on this one day like no other. There's a leisurely, relaxed, bustling vibe throughout the city with most activities happening in the Cathedral Quarter area. Visual art, music, dancing, sword fencing, magicians, street artists, performance art, circus acts, art exhibitions, fire dancers, roller derbies, jugglers, food and drink. There's a bedazzling array of entertainment and it's for all age groups from babies to centenarians. The streets are closed off to traffic and you can grab a drink, a Culture Night brochure and just wander about exploring what's on. It's a magical night. Forget Christmas, Halloween or any other festivity or festival. Nothing compares to Belfast Culture Night - it's the best - I hope it never stops. Here are some of my favourites from CNB15: INKIE art exhibition ~ Ink Monkey art shop Claire Carpenter art exhibition ~ Cafe 31 Faigy art exhibition ~ Assembly Rooms Yarn bombing by Saturday Knit Fever Fire dancing by FirePoise Lumen by Guerilla Shout & DSNT Hit The North Street Art Festival Urban dance by Cypher Sessions Belfast Roller Derby Irish dance ~ Tir na n-Og Dance Group DeLorean Print Cars ~ Belfast Photo Festival

Culture Night Belfast took place for the first time last year, and it got even bigger this year. It…read morebasically involves every arts organisation flinging its doors open to the public for free and as a result, there's a real buzz about the place. It initially started as a Cathedral Quarter event, but was extended a little to include some of South Belfast this year. My understanding is that they want to eventually have Culture Night take place all over the city, which would be some achievement! The events are massively varied - Belfast Film Festival might put on what they call "Bean Bag Cinema", which is where a film is screened in one of the Cathedral Quarter's alleyways, with the audience sitting on Bean Bags. The galleries in the area might put on special shows, artists take to the streets to create something on the night and almost every cafe or restaurant has some sort of live music going on. It's such a great way to remove some of the barriers that stop people getting involved in the arts. Since it's all so relaxed, it's really easy to just go down, have a wander round and see what grabs your attention!

The Grand Garden fair is an annual event that takes place in the ground in the scenic Mount…read moreStewart. This is dubbed a gardening extravaganza by local attraction guides but to be brutally honest there is nothing much at this show that I would get excited about. But that's just me, it is more of a treat for anyone interested in gardening. But there are also other attraction at the May event including over 100 craft stalls, local produce stands, dolls houses on display, dancing and music. It is more of a grand country fair than just a garden exhibit. There is no extra entrance fee for admission to the Garden Fair but you will be expected to shell out for the grounds of Mount Stewart which is around £8 for adults. The festival itself lasts two days and is usually held around the 22nd to the 30th of May.

We went to Belsonic to see Lizzo and the site that it's on is amazing, plenty of places to buy food…read moreand drink. The stage was massive and could be seen from the whole standing area. Sound was perfect. I would definitely come again to watch an artist.

I only give 1 star purely for alcohol beverages. This place is sponsored by Limelite and does not…read moresell any Gin/Tonic or Soda Water ect. The only alcohol they sell is Tennents £7. Red & White Wine, a glass £8. Vodka and Coke ect & Magners. No price because I didn't purchase. Very disappointed.