The prestigious All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships will be held in Mid and East Antrim in the picturesque grounds of Ballymena Academy.
The 74th edition of the popular event will take place on Saturday 6 July and admission will be free.
The championships rotate each year between a venue in the Republic and Northern Ireland. It is one of the key outings in the pipe band calendar and always attracts a strong entry list.
Organised by the Joint Association Council of the RSPBA NI Branch and the Irish Pipe Band Association in partnership with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, the contest gets underway at 11:00.
Up to 2,000 musicians from 60 pipe bands and 45 drum majors from all over Ireland will be joined by two Australian bands, including Knox Grammar School. Twelve-times World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, has also confirmed its participation. At the end of the competition there will be the spectacle of the Grand Finale March Past and Salute to the Chieftain, when all the bands come together and play as one before the prize giving. As well as the band competitions, there will be classes for drum majors and Scottish Highland Dancers.
For the first time the competition site will also host a tented circus skills workshop where spectators can learn new skills and put on a show of their own.
Throughout the day there will be a free shuttle bus operating between the venue and the town centre for the spectators to enjoy everything that Ballymena town centre has to offer.
Admission is free and for regular updates visit midandeastantrim.gov.uk/events
