Free, open every day — a brand-new play park, a duck lake and a sensory garden in the middle of town.
People's Park (Ballymena) — Free, open every day — a brand-new play park, a duck lake and a sensory garden in the middle of town.
The play park was rebuilt with plenty of climbing frames and equipment for all ages and abilities. There are inclusive swings and wheelchair-accessible kit alongside the standard climbers and slides, and a separate toddler area for the little ones. The sensory garden, opened in 2023, adds musical instruments, colourful drum beams, accessible pathways and a flowing walkway designed to engage sight, sound, touch and smell — a calmer corner for children with sensory needs. When the climbing frames get old hat, there's a skate park, ball courts and floodlit tennis courts right beside it.
Council town parks like this one often host seasonal fun days, summer events and Halloween or Christmas happenings. Check what's on before you go.
People's Park (Ballymena) is at The People's Park, Doury Road, Ballymena BT43 6JA. On-street and nearby town parking; the park sits on Doury Road in central Ballymena. Tap below for turn-by-turn directions.
The People's Park was donated to the town by Sir Robert Alexander Shafto Adair in 1870, and its 45 acres of mature grounds still sit right in the centre of Ballymena, laid out around the lake.
It has stayed the town's main park ever since, run today by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. The sensory garden is the newest addition, opened in June 2023 with funding from the Department for Communities' Access and Inclusion Fund and built in consultation with local user groups.