Portaferry’s Sails & Sounds Festival returns from 31 July to 3 August 2026, bringing four days of sea shanties, maritime heritage, live music and family fun to the shores of Strangford Lough. As Northern Ireland’s only dedicated sea shanty festival, visitors can enjoy live performances, storytelling, boat trips, heritage exhibitions, markets, children’s activities and much more in a celebration of the area’s rich coastal culture.
This year’s festival promises a packed and colourful programme, with live sea shanty performances, marching bands, bagpipes, traditional music, dance, guided walking tours, boat trips, maritime exhibitions, pop-up heritage stands, cooking demonstrations, storytelling, poetry, podcasting, children’s activities, markets, water challenges, pirates, Vikings in kilts, mermaids and much more.
Visitors can enjoy performances from local and visiting shanty groups, including The Molgoggers from Cork, Hooks and Crooks from Waterford, The Causeway Shantymen from Portrush, and Portaferry’s very own all-women shanty group, The Selkies. The festival will also welcome Jock the Box from Scotland, marching bands, bagpipes and a range of musicians and performers throughout the village.
The heritage programme will celebrate the stories, people and traditions that make this area so special. There will be maritime exhibitions at P.A.S.T., Ulster-Scots talks, guided walking tours, pop-up heritage stands and opportunities to chat with local people who know and love the history of the peninsula.
At Portaferry Library, poet Maura Johnston will lead poetry workshops, while A Night with Paddy Montague will bring storytelling, poetry, comedy, craic, laughter and audience engagement. The festival will also include podcasting sessions with local peninsula characters, including Carol Gilmore and Elaine McFeeters, helping to capture and share the voices, memories and lived experiences of the local community.
Families are at the heart of Sails & Sounds, with a wide range of activities for children and young people. There will be treasure trails, festival passport stamps, crafts, face painting, bubble bike fun, inflatables, interactive workshops, heritage-themed challenges, pirates, Vikings, mermaids and family water challenges with Viking John Hubbucks from Mobile Adventure. These activities will give children and families the chance to learn, laugh, explore and get involved in the festival spirit.
The Local Credit Union will also be supporting the family programme by providing children’s entertainment, face painting and craft activities, helping to make the festival even more welcoming for local families and visiting children.
Visitors coming to Portaferry for the festival can also enjoy Exploris Aquarium, one of the area’s best-loved attractions. This adds another exciting family-friendly experience to the weekend and helps showcase Portaferry as a place to visit, explore and enjoy.
Open days at the RNLI and Queen’s University Belfast Marine Biology Stationwill give children, families and visitors the opportunity to learn more about safety at sea, marine life, coastal science and the unique biodiversity of Strangford Lough. These experiences will help connect the festival’s maritime heritage with the living environment that surrounds it.
The festival will also be supported by a market in The Square, complementing the wider programme and encouraging visitors to support local makers, traders, businesses and community groups. From music in the streets to activities on the water, Sails & Sounds will bring the village to life across the weekend.
A strong part of the festival is community collaboration. Sails & Sounds is built by local people, volunteers, artists, musicians, heritage groups, schools, businesses, safety partners and community organisations working together. It is a celebration of what can happen when a community shares its skills, stories, creativity and pride in place.
The festival provides opportunities for local people to take part, perform, volunteer, tell their stories, showcase their talents and welcome visitors into the heart of Portaferry. It also supports local businesses by encouraging people to stay, eat, shop, visit attractions and spend time in the village across the weekend.
Accessibility and inclusion are also important parts of the event. A dedicated Quiet Area will be available for visitors who may need a calmer space during the festival, including families, older people, neurodivergent visitors, or anyone who would benefit from time away from the busier festival areas. This will help ensure that Sails & Sounds remains welcoming, inclusive and enjoyable for as many people as possible.
Environmental awareness is central to the festival. This year, Sails & Sounds will offer bespoke branded reusable, recyclable and dishwasher-friendly pint and half-pint glasses, available to purchase for £2 and use throughout the weekend. This practical initiative will help reduce single-use plastic waste, cut down on unnecessary waste and encourage visitors to make more sustainable choices while enjoying the event.
The festival will also promote recycling, responsible event planning, coastal conservation, environmental education and local participation. By encouraging people to enjoy activities close to the shoreline, support local businesses and celebrate the natural beauty of Strangford Lough, Sails & Sounds aims to reduce its carbon footprint and promote a more sustainable approach to community festivals.
Sails & Sounds is more than a festival. It is a celebration of Portaferry’s people, its music, its maritime heritage, its Ulster-Scots culture, its coastal landscape and its strong community spirit. It brings together the old and the new, the land and the sea, the young and the old, the local and the visiting.
Whether you come for the shanties, the stories, the boat trips, the family fun, the heritage, the food, the music, the market, the Vikings, the mermaids, the laughter or simply the atmosphere, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
Everyone is warmly invited to come along, bring the family, support local, enjoy the music, explore the village and celebrate by the sea.
Sails & Sounds Maritime Heritage, Shanty and Ulster-Scots Festival 2026 takesplace in Portaferry from Friday 31 July to Monday 3 August 2026. For more information, visit www.portaferrysailsandsounds.com/
Come for the songs. Stay for the stories. Celebrate the sea.
