Traditional Fair · Free · All ages Ballycastle, Co. Antrim
Ould Lammas Fair
Ireland's oldest fair fills the seaside streets of Ballycastle — hundreds of stalls, the famous horse fair, dulse and yellowman, and the coast right there.
Ireland's oldest fair takes over the seaside town of Ballycastle — hundreds of stalls the length of the streets, the famous horse fair, dulse and yellowman, and tens of thousands of people. Free, and steeped in four hundred years of tradition.
What's on — hundreds of market stalls, the traditional horse and pony fair, the two treats every visitor hunts down (dulse and yellowman), a funfair, street entertainment and live music — all with the harbour, Fair Head and Rathlin Island right there.
When — Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 August 2026, the last Monday and Tuesday of August, with a fireworks night and a concert over the weekend before. It falls on the same August dates every year.
Free — the fair is free to wander; you just pay for what you buy and any funfair rides.
Come by Park & Ride. Ballycastle is a small town that fills to bursting — streets close (roughly 8am–10pm) and town parking is very limited, so use the Park & Ride laid on for the fair and save yourself the stress.
Try the dulse and yellowman — the fair's famous pair, sung about in the old song. Dulse is a dried, salty purple seaweed; yellowman is a bright, hard honeycomb toffee. A taste of both is a rite of passage.
Come ready — it's a busy coastal town in late August, so wear comfy shoes for a lot of walking and bring a layer for the sea breeze.
What's on
A whole seaside town turned into a fair
The fair spreads from The Diamond right down to the seafront. Here's the spread of what you'll find as you wander.
🛍️The great street marketAround four hundred stalls line The Diamond, Castle Street, Ann Street and the Quay — crafts, clothes, local food, curiosities and specialist goods, plus a curated artisan market of North Coast produce and crafts.
🐴The horse fairThe old tradition at the heart of it: horses and ponies traded on the street, deals struck by hand, farriers at work — a living link to the fair's four-hundred-year past.
🍯Dulse & yellowmanThe two treats the fair is famous for — dried purple dulse seaweed and bright yellowman honeycomb toffee — sold from the stalls for generations and immortalised in the song.
🎡The funfairFairground rides and amusements for all ages down by the Quay, with quieter sensory-friendly times usually available on request — the children's high point of the day.
🎶Street entertainmentTraditional music, street performers and dancing through the town, plus a seafront fireworks display and a live concert over the opening weekend before the fair days.
🌊The seaside settingIt's all right by the harbour and marina, looking out to Fair Head and Rathlin Island — so you can pair the fair with the beach, the coast and a proper Causeway day.
Plan your visit
Getting there and getting in
The fair is free to wander — there's nothing to book, you just pay for what you buy. The one thing to get right is arriving: Ballycastle is a small town and the fair draws tens of thousands, so the streets close to traffic (roughly 8am–10pm) and town-centre parking is very limited. Use the Park & Ride laid on for the fair — it runs a regular shuttle into town and is wheelchair accessible. Translink also puts on extra buses. Come early, wear good shoes, and bring a layer for the coast.
Check the Park & Ride and road closures for 2026.
The exact Park & Ride location, price and shuttle times are confirmed by the council each year in the run-up to the fair (in 2025 it ran from the GAA club on Whitepark Road). Check the official Ould Lammas Fair page for the confirmed 2026 travel details before you set off.
Before you head in
What to wear and bring
👟Comfy shoesYou'll walk the length of the town and back among big crowds — flat, comfortable footwear is the one essential.
🧥A layer for the coastIt's a seafront town in late August — often lovely, but the sea breeze can turn cool, so bring a light jacket.
💷A bit of cashMany stalls take cards now, but some traders and the funfair are easier with cash — handy to have a little.
🛍️A bag for treasuresBetween the crafts, the stalls and a bag of yellowman, you'll want something to carry it all home in.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Dates
The two fair days are Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 August 2026 — always the last Monday and Tuesday of August. A fireworks night and a concert usually run over the weekend before (from around Saturday 22).
Cost
Free to attend and wander. You only pay for what you buy from the stalls and for funfair rides.
Where
Ballycastle town centre, Co. Antrim, on the Causeway Coast — from The Diamond down to the seafront and marina.
Getting there
Use the Park & Ride laid on for the fair (regular shuttle, wheelchair accessible) — town parking is very limited and streets close for the day. Translink runs extra buses; check for the confirmed 2026 arrangements.
Family
Thoroughly family-friendly — a funfair, pony rides and petting animals, face-painting and family games have all featured, with sensory-friendly funfair times usually available on request.
Accessibility
Accessible Park & Ride shuttle, disabled parking (first come, first served), accessible toilets and a mobile accessible changing unit around the town. Streets can be crowded — an accessible route map is usually published for the fair.
Food & treats
Stalls and vans of takeaway food and local produce throughout — and of course the two famous treats to seek out, dulse and yellowman.
Weather
Late-August north-coast weather is changeable and exposed by the sea — bright and warm one minute, breezy the next. Comfortable shoes and a light layer cover it.
Questions
The Ould Lammas Fair, answered
When is the Ould Lammas Fair 2026?
Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 August 2026 — the last Monday and Tuesday of August. A fireworks display and a concert usually run over the weekend before, from around Saturday 22 August.
Is it free?
Yes — the fair is free to attend and wander. You only pay for what you buy from the stalls and for any funfair rides.
What are dulse and yellowman?
The two treats the fair is famous for. Dulse is a dried, salty purple-red seaweed foraged along the Antrim coast; yellowman is a hard, bright-yellow honeycomb toffee. The old song about the fair — "did you treat your Mary Ann to some dulse and yellowman" — is why everyone tries them.
How do I get there and park?
Use the Park & Ride laid on for the fair — Ballycastle's streets close and town parking is very limited. It runs a regular, wheelchair-accessible shuttle into town, and Translink adds extra buses. Check the official page for the confirmed 2026 details.
Is it good for children?
Very — there's a funfair, pony rides and animals, face-painting and family activities, with quieter sensory-friendly funfair times usually available. Just be ready for big crowds and hold little hands on the busy streets.
What else is there to do nearby?
Loads — Ballycastle's beach and harbour are right there, the Rathlin Island ferry leaves from the harbour, and you're on the Causeway Coast for Fair Head, the Glens of Antrim and the Giant's Causeway.
Getting there
Ballycastle town centre, Co. Antrim (BT54), on the Causeway Coast — the fair runs from The Diamond down to the seafront. Streets close for the day, so use the Park & Ride laid on for the fair rather than driving into town.
The Ould Lammas Fair is reckoned to be the oldest of Ireland's traditional fairs. Its roots go back to the MacDonnells of Antrim — the story goes that in 1571 the chieftain Sorley Boy MacDonnell held public games in the town, and in 1606 the family secured a charter for a series of fairs, one of them falling on the last Tuesday of August. It has run on those late-August days ever since, unbroken through two world wars, pausing only briefly in modern times.
What fixed it in the memory, though, was a song. A Ballycastle shopkeeper and fiddler called John Henry MacAuley wrote "The Ould Lammas Fair," with its line "did you treat your Mary Ann to some dulse and yellowman at the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O" — and from then on no visit was complete without a taste of both. Four centuries on, the horses still trade, the stalls still stretch the length of the town, and the whole of the Glens still comes home for it. Go and be part of it — and try the yellowman.