Info
WELCOME TO UNDER THE DRUM!
A new music festival in the County Antrim Hills. Why ‘Under the Drum’? Well, one of the hills overlooking the site is named Drumadarragh, but we also liked the associations of the name, the idea of ‘peering under the lid’ of the drum. The festival has been a dream for us for a long time. 2024 is the inaugural year, and so we are keeping things intimate and low key this year. For that reason, things may be a little unsophisticated, but the music will be great, and the beer will be cold! We want this to be a welcoming, friendly and fun event, with intimate performances and a chance to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
We are excited to welcome some incredible bands and musicians from across Ireland and the UK, as well as poetry, art, falconry displays, and delicious food and drink. It’s important to note here that this year Under the Drum is an 18+ event. (More information below). Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, or if you want to find out how to get involved in the future. Email us at info@underthedrum.co.uk or send us a message on Instagram. This page and the website will be updated with information as it becomes available. If there’s anything you’re not sure of, just give us a shout!
Cheers! Under the Drum
Where?
Breckenhill, near Ballyclare (BT39 0TB). Roughly 30 mins from Belfast. Directions can be found on the Location page.
When?
Saturday 28th September. The site opens 11am - 12.30am (for day tickets) and closes 1pm Sunday 29th (for campers). Music on the main stage will finish at 11.30pm.
Facilities
There will be toilets (with disabled access), fresh water (please bring your own refillable bottle), first aid on hand. Showers are also available to campers if required.
Camping
Camping will be available on Saturday night. We have one site for campervans and one for tents. More information about this will be sent out closer to the time, and we will ask you to confirm what type of pitch you need. Breakfast will be available on the Sunday morning for campers. We ask all campers to be off the site by 1pm on Sunday. Please leave the campsite as you found it, and take rubbish home with you! Note that no glass bottles or open flames are allowed on the camp site or festival site.
Travel
We strongly advise booking in advance if travelling by taxi, as we are a rural location and they are not readily available. There will be parking available, but we do ask that you car share where possible, to save on space!
Food & Drink
There will be a number of food trucks available all day and the following morning, along with a coffee truck and a bar. We have done our best to cover all dietary requirements, but if you have specific requirements it might be best to bring a few snacks.
Children & Pets
This is an 18+ event. Children under 12 are welcome if supervised by an adult and if advised of before hand, but please note that we don't have any entertainment or food especially for young ones. Please get in touch if you have any questions about this. We hope to be able to welcome younger festival goers in the future. Sorry, no dogs (or other pets!) allowed!
Weather
Obviously this event is in Northern Ireland in the Autumn. We will be hoping for an Indian Summer, but please come prepared for wet/muddy weather. The main stage is indoors.
Tickets and pricing
Day Tickets: £50 Camping: £65
Ticket payments are processed securely through Stripe. On purchase you will receive an automatic receipt from Stripe. Tickets and details will be sent out closer to the event. Please add the names of any guests when buying the tickets. Up to four can be purchased per person. Each person staying the night will need to have a camping ticket.
Access and disabilities
Much of the site is accessible, but please contact us if you have any specific questions about accessibility of the site.
Sustainability & Respect
We are very keen to make Under the Drum as sustainable as possible. We will be offering a reusable cup system, and we ask you to please bring reusable water bottles with you. Breckenhill is a natural and special spot, with a wealth of wildlife and flora around. We ask that you treat the venue and spaces and their creatures with respect, and to please dispose of rubbish considerately. Anyone found to be mistreating the site or its spaces will be asked to leave without warning. Breckenhill is also surrounded by private farmland, and so we ask that you do not wander to any unallocated ‘festival’ spaces. The good treatment of the venue and our surroundings is essential to allow the festival to continue into the future, thank you for your consideration!
Discrimination
We welcome festival attendees from all walks of life, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion and ethnicity. Anyone found to be infringing or disrespecting this will be asked to leave the premises without prior warning.
Who are we?
We are the Reade family, who have been at Breckenhill for over 30 years. David, Hen, Rosanna, William and George are hosting and organising the event, along with many talented friends and supporters.
