Coleraine Twelfth Festival

A Celebration of Culture & Heritage

Coleraine Festival Committee.
Copyright © 2007 Coleraine Twelfth Festival. All rights reserved.
Revised: June, 2010

Coleraine Twelfth Festival 2008 was held from Saturday 5th to Saturday 12th July 2008.
An integral part of the festival this year was the Exhibition, which was open in Coleraine Town Hall from Saturday 5th through to Friday 11th July. The exhibition featured many exhibits of interest, some of which dated back to the late 19th Century, and over the course of the week over 3000 people, of all ages, visited. Many positive comments were recorded from visitors, some of whom were from as far away as Europe, U.S.A., Canada and Australia.
Saturday 5th saw the first afternoon of entertainment in The Diamond, on what turned into a rather cold, wet day. Shoppers were entertained by the Ulster Scots Experience, Dunaghy Accordion Band, Mandy’s Country Dancers and young Irish dancers amongst others.
The annual junior 5-a-side football competition, at The Crescent Playing Fields, on Monday 7th saw a good entry of young players eager to show their skills, however, due to torrential rain the competition had to be brought to an early close. This event will be completed at a later date.
On Tuesday 8th we welcomed the Ulster Scots Experience to Portstewart Town Hall, where their music was enjoyed by an audience of visitors and local residents comprising a wide range of ages.
Wednesday 9th saw the sun shining in Coleraine town centre where a demonstration of Ulster Scots cookery proved very popular, with demand for the pancakes soon out-stripping supply. The Dotty Minnims, a group of local young musicians and dancers, again displayed their considerable talent to the audience gathered in The Diamond. The afternoon of entertainment was rounded off by Session Beat entertaining the public with a range of traditional music played on a variety of instruments.
Christie Park welcomed large crowds on Thursday 10th where, in glorious sunshine, they were entertained by a variety of local bands, including pipe, accordion and flute. The children’s face-painting proved very
popular, with a lengthy queue all evening, and while the air reverberated to the sound of Lambeg drums a BBQ ensured that no-one went hungry. The crowds watched the miniature helicopter display over the River Bann and the local river rescue team took to the water to demonstrate a mock rescue. The evening was brought to a close with a spectacular fireworks display over the River Bann, part of Coleraine Borough Council’s contribution to the festival.
Friday 11th saw the final afternoon of entertainment in The Diamond when the Q97 Road Show was joined by Coleraine Fife and Drum Band. Meanwhile, at The Crescent Playing Fields, large crowds of children enjoyed a BBQ and Fun Day including the latest high-tech ‘laser tag’. The young, and not so-young, alike enjoyed the It’s-A-Knockout which took the form of a Highland Games.
Saturday 12th of July, saw the grand finale of the festival when Coleraine welcomed in excess of 50,000 visitors to watch the annual Orange celebrations, hosted by Macosquin No8 District LOL. A carnival pageant featuring the Ulster Scots float with musicians, Chinese Lion dancers, clowns and other entertainers preceded the Orange demonstration to the ‘Field’ at Carthall. The 55 bands and over 60 Lodges of City of Londonderry Grand Lodge, Limavady, Coleraine and Macosquin Districts were led through the packed streets of the town by King Billy on horseback, junior William and Mary, and Williamite foot-soldiers.
The relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere prevailing made for an enjoyable day out for everyone, with many expressing the opinion it had been the best ‘Twelfth’ for many years.