Chefs from four popular Donaghadee restaurants along with Zoe McCleery of Copeland Spirits will be serving up a treat during the Donaghadee Lights Up Festival. 

 Food, boat and historical tours plus a free concert that’s headlined by the incredible Red Hot Chilli Pipers and an impressive fireworks display are set to raise the temperatures in Donaghadee from 5-8 September!

The popular Donaghadee Lights Up four-day Festival is ready to inject lots of excitement into the normally tranquil historic harbour town and the festivities kick off with a scrumptious Taste of Donaghadee food tour on Thursday 5 September.

The tour will include visits to the new Copeland Distillery as well as the Bull & Claw, Harbour and Company, Lighthouse Bar and Grill, plus Pier 36. A ‘deelicious’ menu has been constructed by the town’s top chefs with a tantalising course at each venue satisfying even the most discerning of food connoisseurs. Booking is essential and tickets cost £62.

The festivities really start to ramp up on Friday 6 September with the Red Hot Donaghadee food tour plus the opportunity to take part in the Sea Shanties boat tour or a historic walking tour of Donaghadee. The Friday food tour kicks off with a tour of the Copeland Distillery, followed by a four-course dinner with gin and wine in Harbour and Company. Tickets cost £45.

If you fancy setting sail on the ocean and listening to ‘stories of old’ told through popular sea shanties, you can climb aboard at 7pm on the Friday or at 2pm on the Saturday and Sunday. Make sure you bring your camera to capture some stunning scenic photo opportunities during these hour-long sailings! Tickets cost £12 per adult and £6 per child.

If you prefer to keep your feet firmly on dry land, the Historic Walking Tour of Donaghadee will entertain and inform by giving you a glimpse into the town’s fascinating past. Hear tales of Vikings, the 12th century Norman outpost and the slave ship that sailed into the harbour during the 18th century.

These one-hour tours leave from Donaghadee Community Centre on the Friday (6pm), Saturday (4pm) and Sunday (3.30pm). Tickets costs £3 per person.

Saturday evening in Donaghadee will be buzzing when the Red Hot Chilli Pipers take to the stage in The Commons with a free show that’s so hot, it reportedly carries its own health warning!

From 7.30pm to 9.30pm, the Scottish bagpipes and drums will raise the cooling September temperatures a notch higher as they entertain the crowds before a fantastic fireworks finale provides the perfect send-off for festival-goers.

The concert and fireworks display are free to attend but booking for all food, boat and walking tours is essential. Tickets are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/ardsandnorthdown