One free day each June for the famous Comber Earlies potato — chef demos, a food and craft market, live music, tractors and hands-on fun in the heart of the town.
For one Saturday every June, the market town of Comber fills with the smell of good food and the buzz of a busy square — a free day out built around one small, famous potato: the Comber Earlies.
What it is — a free, one-day food festival celebrating the Comber Earlies potato, a new-season spud with such a reputation that it carries PGI protected status (like Champagne or Melton Mowbray pork pies). One town, one great potato, one packed day of food.
For families — this is a proper family day: hands-on children's activities like potato printing, planting and eco crafts, a soil pit and sensory play, ride-on tractors, walkabout performers and a treasure hunt for a golden spud. Plenty to keep small hands busy while grown-ups graze the stalls.
Where — right in the heart of Comber, Co Down, around The Square and the town centre. It's an easy, flat, walkable day out — one open, friendly hub rather than a sprawl.
What's there — a festival kitchen with live cookery demos from guest and local chefs, an artisan food and drink market, street food to eat on the spot, a craft market, live music and vintage tractor displays. You'll come home fed and with a bag of good things.
It's popular, so it gets busy. Thousands come each year and the town centre fills up. Go early, come by the free shuttle buses if they run, and use the quiet hour at the start if a calmer, less crowded visit suits your family better.
When to plan — it's held on one Saturday in mid-to-late June. The 2027 date and full line-up are confirmed nearer the time; keep an eye on the Ards and North Down what's-on pages in the spring.
What's on
A whole town given over to good food
The exact line-up shifts year to year, but here's the shape of the day — the kinds of things a family can wander between from late morning to teatime.
👩🍳Festival kitchenLive cookery demos from guest and local chefs, all built around the season's Comber Earlies and other NI produce.
🥔The famous spudFreshly dug new-season Comber Earlies for sale — the potato with its own protected name, best eaten simply with butter.
🧺Food & craft marketAn artisan food and drink market plus craft stalls — cheese, bakes, preserves, coffee and gifts to carry home.
🌭Street foodHot food traders to eat on the spot, so you can graze your way round the square rather than sit down for a meal.
🚜Tractors & musicVintage tractor displays, ride-on tractors for little ones, live music and walkabout performers through the day.
🎨Kids' activitiesPotato printing, planting, eco crafts, a soil pit, sensory play and a golden-spud treasure hunt — hands-on and free.
Plan your visit
How to do the day with kids
The whole thing is free and outdoors, so the plan is simple: come hungry and give yourself a couple of hours. Comber town centre is small and flat, which makes it easy with a buggy — everything sits close together. The catch is that it gets busy, with thousands through the town on the day, so arrive earlier rather than later for a calmer wander and the best pick of the stalls. If the free shuttle buses run from nearby towns and park-and-rides, they save you the parking scramble. Feed the kids at the street-food stalls, catch a cookery demo in the festival kitchen, then let them loose on the potato printing and the golden-spud hunt. There's usually a quiet hour at the very start of the day with reduced capacity — a gentler window for neurodivergent visitors, wheelchair users, carers and families with very young children. Bring cash as a backup, a bag for your spuds, and a light coat: it's a June day in Northern Ireland, so pack for four seasons.
The date and line-up are confirmed nearer the time.
The festival lands on one Saturday in mid-to-late June each year. Check the Ards and North Down what's-on pages in the spring for the 2027 date, the chef line-up, quiet-hour times and whether the free shuttle buses are running.
Good to know
Everything before you go
When
One Saturday in mid-to-late June each year, usually around 11am–5pm. The 2027 date is confirmed nearer the time — watch the Ards and North Down what's-on pages.
Where
Comber town centre, Co Down, around The Square (BT23). One walkable hub in the heart of the town.
Cost
Free to get in — no ticket needed. You only pay for the food and market stalls you choose to buy from.
Best for families
The children's crafts, ride-on tractors, treasure hunt and sensory play. Flat and buggy-friendly, with plenty of easy grazing.
Quiet hour
There's usually a quieter opening hour with reduced capacity for neurodivergent visitors, wheelchair users, carers and families with young children.
The potato
Comber Earlies are a new-season potato with PGI protected status — only new-season spuds grown in and around Comber can carry the name.
Getting there
Comber is a short drive from Belfast, Newtownards and Dundonald. Town parking fills fast; free shuttle buses often run from nearby towns and park-and-rides.
Organiser
Run by Ards and North Down Borough Council as part of the wider Taste Summer programme.
Questions
The Comber Earlies Food Festival, answered
When is the Comber Earlies Food Festival 2027?
It's held on one Saturday in mid-to-late June each year, usually running around 11am to 5pm. The exact 2027 date is confirmed nearer the time — check the Ards and North Down what's-on pages in the spring.
Is it free?
Yes — entry is completely free and you don't need a ticket. You only spend on the food and market stalls you fancy, so it's an easy day out that costs as little as you like.
Is it good for children?
Very. Alongside the food there are hands-on kids' activities — potato printing, planting, eco crafts, a soil pit, sensory play, ride-on tractors and a golden-spud treasure hunt — so there's plenty to keep little ones busy.
Where does it take place?
In the heart of Comber, Co Down, around The Square and the town centre (BT23). It's one flat, walkable hub rather than a spread-out site.
Is there a quiet hour?
There's usually a quieter opening hour with reduced capacity at the start of the day — a gentler window for neurodivergent visitors, wheelchair users, carers and families with very young children. Check the times on the official listing before you go.
What's so special about the Comber Earlies potato?
It's a new-season potato with PGI protected status — the same kind of legal protection as Champagne. Only new-season potatoes grown in and around Comber can be sold under the name, and they're prized for their flavour, eaten simply with butter.
Getting there
Comber sits a short drive from Belfast, Newtownards and Dundonald, with The Square at its centre. Town parking fills quickly on festival day, so come early — and if the council runs its free shuttle buses from nearby towns and park-and-rides, they're the easy way in. Check the official listing for the day's parking and shuttle details.
Comber has grown potatoes for generations, and its new-season Earlies became so prized that in 2012 they were granted PGI protected status — the same legal protection given to Champagne and Parma ham. It means only new-season potatoes grown in the fields around Comber can carry the name. That's a rare thing for a small Co Down town to be famous for, and the festival is the town's way of celebrating it: once a year, the square fills with stalls, chefs, tractors and music, and the humble spud gets the party it deserves.
For a family, it's one of the friendliest days in the June calendar — free to get in, flat and easy to walk, and packed with hands-on things for children to do while you eat your way round. Bring your appetite, grab a bag of the real thing to take home, and go and enjoy a whole town in a good mood on a summer Saturday.