Ballymena Businesses and Ballymena BID Spread Birthday Cheer for Ballymena 400
Ballymena marked its landmark 400th birthday in true Ballymena style, with businesses, organisations and the local community coming together for several days filled with fun, generosity and celebration.
The celebrations kicked off on Saturday with a fantastic End of Summer Street Party on Greenvale Street, drawing families from Ballymena and further afield into the town centre for an afternoon of free entertainment.
Hosted by the brilliant Kirstie Murray, the Downtown Radio Roadshow brought music, competitions and plenty of energy to the heart of the town. Greenvale Street came alive with carnival rides and games, face painting and balloon modelling from Ballymena favourites Glitterbug, character appearances, arts and crafts and entertainment throughout the day.
Local butchers K&G McAtamney fired up the BBQ, while picnic tables lining the street gave families the chance to enjoy burgers and hotdogs and soak up the atmosphere. Even better, proceeds from the BBQ raised an incredible £850 for Autism NI, adding another feel-good element to an already special day. Congratulations to the K&G team.
There were plenty of prizes too. The Adair Arms, itself celebrating a milestone anniversary this year, joined the celebrations and surprised visitors with hotel vouchers which they handed out on the street, while Tullyglass, Leighinmohr House Hotel and Partyzone also generously donated prizes for the Downtown Radio competitions.
Alongside a fantastic selection of local prizes, Downtown Radio brought some big giveaways of its own, including tickets to see The Script and Niall Horan.
Throughout the day, Kirstie took to the stage to ask people what they loved most about Ballymena. One answer kept coming up time and time again – everything!
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
The generosity continued thanks to Rituals Cosmetics in Tower Centre, who donated 100 little gifts for the Ballymena BID team to hand out during the celebrations, meaning plenty of visitors went home with an unexpected treat.
Throughout the street party, superheroes, bubble artists, jugglers, arts and crafts and a special Ballymena 400 photo opportunity kept the birthday fun going, while two colourful carnival games at the entrance to Tower Centre were free for children to enjoy.
And that was only the beginning.
Ballymena’s Big Birthday
When Ballymena’s official 400th Charter Day arrived on Tuesday 25 August, the celebrations continued across the town centre.
Businesses embraced the occasion in their own individual ways, from Spin to Win competitions and special menus to free gifts, goodie bags, discounts, craft activities and giveaways worth up to £400. There were even £400 holiday offers, as businesses big and small found their own way to mark an extraordinary milestone for the town.
The Ballymena BID team also hit the streets to spread a little birthday joy of their own, handing out nostalgic party bags filled with retro sweets, famous Ballymena Rock from Diamond’s Newsagents and a few extra-special surprises.
Hidden inside almost 20 of the bags were gift vouchers kindly donated by Flax, Rococo, Gatto’s and the Adair Arms, giving some lucky recipients an unexpected birthday bonus.
For Ballymena BID, the celebrations demonstrated something that has long been at the heart of the town – a business community that gets behind Ballymena, joins in, has some fun and gives something back.
Lesley McCaughan, owner of Follow Coffee and Chair of Ballymena Marketing Group, which helps plan and deliver town centre events, said:
“It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying Ballymena and to watch the town centre come alive with such a fantastic atmosphere. Events like this are all about bringing people together, creating reasons to spend time in the town and celebrating everything that makes Ballymena special.
“A huge thank you must go to the Department for Communities for their support, which helped us deliver such a brilliant celebration for Ballymena’s 400th year, and of course to every business, organisation and visitor who got involved. Seeing everyone embrace the occasion made it incredibly special.”
Emma McCrea, Ballymena BID Manager, added:
“What stood out across the celebrations was the genuine sense of community. Businesses didn’t simply take part – they embraced Ballymena 400 and came up with their own ideas, giveaways, activities and offers to make the occasion memorable for their customers and visitors to the town.
“We’re also incredibly grateful to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, not only for their support and staff on the ground helping us deliver Saturday’s street party, but for embracing Ballymena 400 and adding to the celebrations with their own town centre activities on the official Charter Day.
“We also have to recognise the wider Ballymena community who got behind the anniversary. James Perry, Chair of Ballymena Business Centre, was a fantastic advocate for Ballymena 400 from the outset, encouraging businesses and organisations beyond the town centre to embrace the milestone too. That support, alongside so many others who got involved, helped make this feel like a celebration for the whole of Ballymena.
“There was a real warmth around the town over the last few days. Ballymena has a brilliant ability to come together, support one another and get behind something positive – and I think these celebrations captured that perfectly.”
From businesses giving back and charities benefiting to families making memories and visitors enjoying the town centre, Ballymena’s 400th birthday became much more than a date in the calendar.
It was a celebration of Ballymena, its businesses, its people and the community spirit that has carried the town through 400 years – and will continue long into the future.
