Massive Success for first Great Outdoors Festival in County Derry

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is celebrating the success of its first ever Great Outdoors Festival at Benone.

Held on March 26 and 27, this new event celebrated all that the Causeway Coast and Glens has to offer, against the backdrop of one of our most beautiful locations.

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Richard Holmes, was among those who went along.

“Our inaugural Great Outdoors Event was a fantastic showcase of what makes the Causeway Coast and Glens such a stand-out destination – combining our beautiful location with entertainment and family-friendly activities and attractions,” he said.

“Its success proves there is a strong appetite for outdoor events like this, and it was fantastic to see so many people there, enjoying themselves in the sunshine and making the most of the fantastic location at Benone.”

The strand and complex provided the perfect setting for the two-day programme, which featured live music, children’s activities and workshops, an artisan market and wild cooking demonstrations.

A short walk along the boardwalk took visitors to a range of beach activities and the sunny skies were filled with colourful kites of all shapes and sizes from the Kitecrew while on the water, there was great interest in the RNLI’s rescue demonstrations.

Back on land, Hot Box were offering ‘hot slots’ in their sea sauna, along with beach volleyball, a chance to meet the Crindle Stables ponies and the team from Blokart World, who were showing off their exhilarating Blokart opportunities.

Volunteers from the RNLI who took part in rescue demonstrations during the Great Outdoors Festival held at Benone.

Council’s Destination Manager, Kerrie McGonigle, added: “This event was made possible by Tourism Northern Ireland, who funded the initiative through its Covid-19 Market Led Product Development Programme.

“This support allowed us to develop this pilot and create a new experience. We were delighted to see families and friends enjoying the beautiful space at Benone, and we now want to build on this for the future.

“Our thanks go to all ours partners who contributed to the success, including Naturally North Coast and Glens Artisan Market, Taste Causeway, Paula McIntyre MBE, NI Survival School, Binevenagh Adventures, Limitless Adventure Centre, RNLI, The Wave Project, Kitecrew Ireland, BlokartWorld, Crindle Stables and Ballymoney Blaze Volleyball, Sea Shed and Waves Coffee Shop. We would also like to offer very special thanks to the team at Stendhal for curating and managing all of the live entertainment and children’s workshops.”

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