Ballina Salmon Festival has lots of fun events for children

With a full calendar of events aimed at children and teenagers, the Ballina Salmon Festival has been the highlight of many a school summer holiday down through its 61 years.

The 62nd edition of the Festival will be no different with a packed schedule of events taking place this year. There is something for everyone and all interests on offer starting with a festival staple on Sunday, July 12th when the Teddy Bears Picnic takes place in Tom Ruane Park.

Youngsters are invited to dress up their Teddy in its Sunday best for a fun-filled and magical afternoon with live entertainment, prizes and food for all the family. A special sensory hour takes place from 12.30pm to 1.30pm with gates opening at 2pm.

On each day, there will be a multitude of events taking place. On Monday, there will be an introduction to DJ’ing class and beat making and vocal recording with Organic Flow tutors, a boxing workshop, a programming class and the ‘Fun With Elaine’ event at Ballina Stephenites for children aged five to ten with additional needs. 

Other events include indoor adventures for one to four-year-olds with Ripples Play (also taking place on Tuesday), run, jump and throw classes at Belleek Track with Moy Valley AC and a fun and splash event at Ballina Swimming Pool.

Kids Yoga with Marie Loftus takes place on Tuesday, as well as Sceals & Tales upstairs in Ballina Library, freestyle martial arts and paddle boarding events. There will be fun for all the family on Heritage Day on Wednesday.

On Thursday, there will be a lot of fun events happening such as axe throwing and paddle boarding. A Pirate Treasure Hunt will kickstart at 3pm from the Duck Pond at Belleek which is all inclusive and buggy friendly.

Baby Boppers events featuring music, movement and sensory aspects will take place on Friday with separate sessions aimed at babies aged three months plus and toddlers from walking to five years.

Art workshops will take place all week in the Ballina Arts Centre while Centre Stage Vocal Academy will also be holding their summer camp during the week.

On Saturday, a Planet Kidz Science Rockets N’ Slime Workshop takes place at Ballina Stephenites while there will also be darts and fishing competitions taking place.

A Kids Festival Fancy Dress Disco (suitable for U10s) will bring a superb calendar of kids events to a close on Saturday afternoon.

For full details of events, see the advertisements inside our supplement or visit the Ballina Salmon Festival’s social media pages. Many events have attendance limits and prove popular, so early booking is advised.