Giant Adventures Return to Newry, Mourne and Down

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Giant Adventures festivals, and other events, will return this summer after a two-year hiatus.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Michael Rice said, “The Giant Adventures festivals namely, Wake the Giant, Footsteps in the Forest, and new for 2022, Eats & Beats, will take place in various locations across the district.  The festivals will highlight the region’s mountains, coastline and unique stories of legend and lore to bring each adventure to life.”

“In addition to the Giant Adventures festivals there will be an exciting programme of summer events, organised by communities and tourism businesses across the district, that will also celebrate the district’s culture and heritage. These events will greatly add to the fantastic offering already in place for both locals and visitors enjoying their summer in Newry, Mourne and Down.”

Cllr Michael Rice continued, “The development of our festivals under the Giant Adventures brand, together with additional financial support for a range of other established events, is one of the positive steps the Council has taken to position the district as one of the premier tourism destinations in Ireland. Each of the events are held at key locations and the theme of Giant Adventures symbolises the scale of our ambition to host world-class events in Newry, Mourne and Down.  I look forward to watching these Giant Adventures continue to evolve and extend over the visitor season”

The Giant Adventures programme will kick off with the Wake the Giant festival on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August in Warrenpoint. Inspired by the ancient myth of the sleeping giant in the Cooley Mountains, see if you can stir Finn McCool, Ireland’s most famous giant, from his slumber. There will be something for all the family to enjoy with live street theatre, free children’s activities, and performances all around the town.

New to the Giant Adventures line-up will be the Eats and Beats festival on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September in Newcastle, Co Down. Bringing you the best in local and world food and music, the Eats and Beats festival weekend will see five music stages providing 70+ free performances. There will be two homegrown and world food villages with over 80 unique and locally produced food and beverage outlets.  Visitors can experience food trails, cooking demos and food sampling, as well as a host of family fun and wellness activities. Save the date as this is going to be a weekend not to be missed.

The popular Footsteps in the Forest festival will make a return to Slieve Gullion forest park at the later date of Thursday 27 to Monday 31 October.  Having grown in popularity with families since 2016, this year Footsteps in the Forest will celebrate the ancient traditions which mark the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. The new Halloween-themed festival will have something for all the family.  Visitors will have an opportunity to encounter mythical people, hear their stories of a world that has been forgotten and explore their woodland realm through the magical living storybook tour.

For details of all this year’s Giant Adventures and community and tourism events, please go to visitmournemountains.co.uk and follow our Visit Mourne social media platforms.