Thousands gather at the Coleraine campus each August for a week of worship, music and teaching — with a big programme for children and young people alongside.
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1–7 August 2026Seven days · come for a day or the week
Thousands gather at the Coleraine campus each August for a week of worship, music and teaching — with a big programme for children and young people running right alongside. Ireland's largest Christian festival, and free to attend.
What's on — main-stage worship and celebration meetings morning and evening, Bible teaching from guest speakers, seminars, and dedicated programmes for children (a crèche and kids' streams) and young people (youth and teen streams, and sports).
When — Saturday 1 to Friday 7 August 2026, seven days, at the Ulster University Coleraine campus. Come for one evening or the whole week.
Free — there's no charge to attend the main events; it runs on donations. (The children's and youth streams may ask you to register your child on-site.)
Family — a genuinely all-ages festival, with supervised children's and youth programmes running alongside the adult sessions, and provision for additional needs.
Getting there — the Ulster University Coleraine campus (Cromore Road); on-campus parking is free at weekends and after 7pm, and paid on weekday daytimes. It's a day-attendance festival — there's no on-site camping, so sort your own stay along the Causeway Coast.
What it is — a long-running, interdenominational Christian festival of worship, music and Bible teaching, running each August since 1989.
What's on
A week's programme, morning to night
The festival runs across a main tent and a wider tented village on the campus. Here's the shape of a day.
🎶Worship & celebration meetingsBig main-stage gatherings of worship music each morning and evening (the evening celebrations from 7:30pm), bringing thousands together to sing and pray.
📖Bible teachingMorning Bible teaching (around 10am, Monday to Friday) from guest speakers, working through a book of the Bible across the week.
💬Seminars & talksA daily seminar programme around midday on faith, family life, culture and everyday questions — a chance to go deeper on a topic.
🧒Children's programmeDedicated, supervised streams running alongside the main sessions — a crèche for the youngest and kids' groups for older children — described as safe, welcoming spaces to play and take part.
🙌Youth & teensAge-banded youth and teen streams (Livewire and On The Edge) and a sports-focused Salt Factory strand — the reason so many families come as a group.
☕The tented villageA community space with a Mission Hub (meeting local and global charities and partners), catering and stalls, and free afternoons to relax between sessions.
Plan your visit
Coming for a day, or the whole week
There's no charge to attend the main events, so you can simply turn up — for a single evening celebration or for the full week. It's held at the Ulster University Coleraine campus on Cromore Road, with on-campus parking that's free at weekends and after 7pm and paid during weekday daytimes; there are disabled spaces and drop-off zones. It's a day-attendance festival with no on-site camping, so if you're staying over, book accommodation along the Causeway Coast — Coleraine, Portstewart and Portrush are all close. Children's and youth streams may ask you to register your child at the welcome desk.
Check the programme and children's registration.
The full daily programme, speakers, and the details for registering children and young people into their streams are published each summer on the official website. Check newhorizon.org.uk for the current-year timetable before you go.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Dates
Saturday 1 to Friday 7 August 2026 — seven days. Come for one evening or the whole week.
Cost
Free to attend the main events; the festival runs on donations. Children's and youth streams may ask you to register your child on-site.
Where
The Ulster University Coleraine campus, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, on the Causeway Coast.
Getting there
On-campus parking is free at weekends and after 7pm, and paid on weekday daytimes, with disabled spaces and drop-off zones. Coleraine is well served by road and rail.
Family
Genuinely all-ages — supervised children's (crèche and kids' streams) and youth/teen programmes run alongside the adult sessions, with support for additional needs.
Accessibility
Sign-language interpretation, disabled parking and drop-off zones, support for additional needs, and accessible celebration provision.
Staying over
It's a day-attendance festival with no on-site camping — book accommodation nearby (Coleraine, Portstewart, Portrush and the wider Causeway Coast).
Food
Catering and stalls in the tented village during the day, with the campus and Coleraine town close by.
Questions
New Horizon, answered
When is New Horizon 2026?
Saturday 1 to Friday 7 August 2026 — seven days at the Ulster University Coleraine campus. You can come for a single evening or for the whole week.
Is it free?
Yes — there's no charge to attend the main events; the festival runs on donations. The children's and youth streams may ask you to register your child on-site.
What is it?
A long-running, interdenominational Christian festival of worship, music and Bible teaching, held every August since 1989 and described as the largest Christian event in Ireland. It's an all-ages gathering with big programmes for children and young people.
Is it good for families and children?
Yes — it's built for all ages, with supervised streams for children (a crèche and kids' groups) and young people (youth, teen and sports), plus provision for additional needs, all running alongside the main sessions.
Where do I park?
On the Ulster University Coleraine campus (Cromore Road). Parking is free at weekends and after 7pm, and paid during weekday daytimes, with disabled spaces and drop-off zones.
Can I camp there?
No — it's a day-attendance festival with no on-site camping. If you're staying over, book accommodation nearby along the Causeway Coast (Coleraine, Portstewart, Portrush).
Getting there
The Ulster University Coleraine campus, Cromore Road, Coleraine (BT52 1SA), on the Causeway Coast. On-campus parking is free at weekends and after 7pm, paid on weekday daytimes. Coleraine is well served by road and rail.
New Horizon began in 1989 at Ulster University's Coleraine campus, and it has gathered there every August since — growing over more than thirty-five years into what's now described as the largest Christian event in Ireland, drawing thousands of people a day from across Northern Ireland and beyond. Its roots reach back further still, to the mid-twentieth-century "Filey Week" holiday conferences in England, before the gathering found its home on the north coast.
What keeps families coming back is that it's built for all of them at once — worship and teaching for the adults, and full, lively programmes for children and teenagers running right alongside — set on a university campus a few minutes from some of the finest beaches on the island. Come for an evening or settle in for the week.