The Ballymena Festival of Music, Speech and Dance takes place each February and March at the beautiful Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena. We offer young performers the chance to take part in music, speech, drama, and dance, celebrating talent and a shared love of the performing arts.

Join us for a special celebration evening, the Festival Showcase, on Saturday 7 March at 7pm in the Main Theatre at the Braid. This free event features performances from across all sections and brings together the wonderful talent showcased throughout the festival. Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

2026 Programmes

The Programmes for Music (Instrumental and Vocal) and Speech are now available to download.

Programmes (2026) for the Music, Speech and Drama sections are only available as digital downloads.

Printed copies will NOT be available to purchase at the Festival:

Traditional Music

Music- Vocal

Music- Instrumental

Speech and Drama

Traditional and Modern Dance Programmes are not available as digital downloads.

2026 Syllabus

The 2026 Syllabus for Music, Speech and Modern Dance can be downloaded here

Entries CLOSED on 30 November 2025 for Music and Speech.

Entries for Modern Dance CLOSE on 30 January 2026.

2026 Dates

Irish Dance Confined: 7 February

Traditional Music: 7 February

Irish Dance Open: 9 - 14 February

Vocal Music: 23 - 28 February

Instrumental Music: 2 - 7 March

Speech & Drama: 26 February - 7 March

The Festival Showcase: 7 March at 7pm (Free entry and light refreshments will be served)

Modern Dance: 11 March - 21 March (excluding 15th and 17th)

Modern Dance Championship: 30 May