Ballyclare May Fair

What to expect

In 2026 the fair ran from Saturday 16 May, opening with the Mayor's parade, to Saturday 23 May with a fireworks finale. The horse fair, on the Tuesday, is the oddity worth travelling for: horses and ponies are shown, run up and traded along Main Street amid a throng of dealers, farmers and onlookers. Through the week there is live music, markets, a car show, vintage tractors, a soapbox derby, a fun run, tea dances and a pet show, while the funfair rides set up at Harrier Way and the Six Mile Leisure Centre car park.

The story behind it

The fair began in 1756 as a horse fair, drawing farmers, traders and travellers from across Ulster. In the nineteenth century demand for horses was so great that buyers came from cavalry regiments across Europe, while local farmers needed plough horses and Belfast wanted carriage and cart animals. Mechanisation and the First World War ended its heyday. A local committee revived it in 1948 as a week-long festival, and despite breaks in the war years, the 1970s and the pandemic, it has kept going.

Getting there and home

Ballyclare has no railway station. Translink buses link the town with Belfast, and the drive takes around half an hour via the M2. Main Street is closed for the horse fair and parking in the centre is tight, so arrive early or use outlying car parks and walk in. Belfast offers the widest choice of accommodation.

Watching, taking part and tips

The horse fair is for dealers and owners; visitors watch from the pavements. Keep a safe distance from horses being run up and down the street, and hold small children's hands, as animals can be unpredictable in crowds. Wear sturdy footwear. The funfair, parades and fireworks are the most family-friendly parts of the week.

Where to watch

Pick your visit by the activity you're after; the fair's week isn't one continuous show. In 2026 the council's account separated the Main Street horse fair from the amusements at Harrier Way and the Six Mile Leisure Centre car park, and from the Party in the Park. A photo of one spot won't tell you where anything else is happening. When the new programme comes out, note the venue as carefully as the date.

For the horse fair, find a settled spot on the pavement rather than wandering into the space where an owner is showing an animal. Give people leading horses room to turn, and keep bags, pushchairs and excitable children out of that working area. A horse standing nearby isn't an invitation to pet it just because its owner has paused. If the parade, music or fireworks appeal more, choose that part of the programme instead. A quieter day might suit you, though nobody can promise crowd levels or viewing arrangements for any particular session.

Make a day of it nearby

Sixmile Park gives you a local outdoor option beside the river. The council's tourism page describes meadowland, walking routes, a play park and outdoor exercise equipment. The fair uses the park area for events too, so check the current programme before you count on your favourite corner being a peaceful retreat. A park visit on another day may suit a family better than fleeing there during the finale.

Patterson's Spade Mill at Templepatrick is a more focused slice of heritage. The National Trust looks after this working water-driven mill, where you can watch traditional spade-making and forging as part of its visitor programme. At the moment it runs pre-booked guided visits on selected days, so book it on purpose rather than expecting it to be open when you pass. Read the Trust's booking and accessibility information before adding it to your trip. It makes a neat contrast: the fair shows the town celebrating together, the mill the practical skills behind rural working life. Neither provides event parking or replaces the fair's own access notice.

Accessibility and families

Before you ask the council about access, list the fair venues your group will actually use. Watching horses from the pavement, a ride at the amusements and an evening concert in the park all have different practical needs. Ask about accessible toilets, seating, the surface between where you arrive and the activity, and how to get there during closures. One general note about the town centre can't cover all of that.

It's also worth knowing who's who. Ballyclaremayfair.com calls itself a community resource and sends readers to the council for official updates; when we checked, its visiting page was still waiting for travel and accessibility details. It's great for a feel of the anniversary, but take detailed facility questions to the council's fair team. With children, decide which activities you'll pay for and where the group can regroup if someone's had enough. A whole week of attractions doesn't need doing: one suitable session, with a confirmed way home, makes a far easier outing than trying to cram everything into one visit.

Questions people ask

Where it is

Map pin shows the approximate area where the event happens. Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Go straight to the source

Independent research. The organiser’s own information always wins — we have not visited or tested the journeys.

• Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council: Ballyclare May Fair 2026 ↗
• Ballyclare May Fair (official site) ↗
• Council:2026 fair report and programme ↗
• Community anniversary website ↗
• Community website: visiting-information status ↗
• Council tourism: Sixmile Park ↗
• National Trust: Patterson’s Spade Mill ↗