Under The Drum

Under The Drum 9 August 2025

A boutique music festival in the Antrim Hills

11/03/2026

Under the Drum - 2025 Festival Film 🎥

Here’s a little video from last year’s festival to remind you what we’re all about! It features Will talking about the festival’s journey so far, and what we hope to build it into as we take a fallow year and prepare to return in 2027.

Big thanks again to all our partners and supporters and staff, who have given us so much of their time and energy! Anyone keen to get involved next year (2027) please send us an email.

Includes performances from and

Shot and edited by with additional footage by and stills by and .by.tolu

21/01/2026

🚨 Call for Evidence – The Future of Live Music 🚨

This week, two more NI independent camping festivals have announced they won’t be running in 2026.

Over the past decade, the island has already lost: Body & Soul, Indiependence, Life Festival, Sea Sessions, Vantastival, Dalriada, Sunflowerfest, Knockanstockan, Wild Roots, Sounds of the Shore, Willowstone, PigStock & Tanglewood.

Independent festivals like Stendhal work year-round to create weekends of joy, community, creativity and connection for audiences and artists alike — but the landscape is becoming impossible to sustain.

The live music scene here appears to be dominated by global giant: Live Nation (2024 revenue – $23bn) and their associates.

In Northern Ireland, these global associations are seemingly involved in delivering the majority of events, including; Belsonic, Emerge, Custom House Square (June > August), Farmers Bash and a large portion if not the majority of concerts at SSE Arena, Telegraph Building, Boucher Road & other notable City concerts/ venues.

If one company and associates control over 25% of a market, that’s a monopoly - and we believe if the above is indeed the situation here, those dynamics warrant a full Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation.

Add to that the fact that NI’s government spends just £5 per head on the arts - compared to £20 per head in the Republic - and it’s clear our creative grassroots are under real pressure.

Without change, our live music scene will lose its heart and become a homogenous mix of big-brand commercial events.

🎶 The UK Government’s Call for Evidence on Live Music is open until this Friday, 23 January.

This is our chance to speak up, share experiences, and push for a fairer, more vibrant live music industry.

Please share or tag anyone you think may wish to make representation from NI.

💬 Evidence can be submitted anonymously (link in comments)!

See you soon…For the past two years Under the Drum has hosted some of the best emerging local and Irish acts and artists...
17/01/2026

See you soon…

For the past two years Under the Drum has hosted some of the best emerging local and Irish acts and artists at our site in the Antrim Hills. Both years have been fantastic thanks to your support - so many likeminded people coming together to celebrate Irish creative culture and the diversity of our experience and expression in this small corner of the world.

Our festival is entirely family run, and sustainability is key to the festival. Not only to be ethically and economically sustainable, but also for ourselves. Running a festival has been an incredibly rewarding but exhausting enterprise, with all of the family managing the organisation of the festival around their own businesses or jobs. In order to make sure the festival is the very best it can be and to keep the energy up, we have decided that a fallow year is in order. Hey, if it’s good enough for Glastonbury… So it is with sadness that we announce that we will not be running Under the Drum in 2026, but it will return in 2027!

In the interest of transparency, we also are going to be working to find sponsors and funding this year. It’s always been of paramount importance to us to keep the festival small, affordable and independent, but in the current economic climate, it has been tough. We know this is the case for so many artists, bands and venues alike. But if you happen to know someone who knows someone who might be interested in sponsoring us, give us a shout! More on that later.

We are planning a few more surprises as well - while the main festival at Breckenhill won’t be running this year, we are in the process of planning a few smaller events that showcase some of our favourite new folk, rock and electronic acts - which might be coming to a city near you. So keep your eyes peeled for news this summer!

We’d like to thank all of our supporters, collaborators, contributors and friends that have made the first two years so special and here’s to August 2027!

- The Reade family and all of the Under the Drum team

Choose your fighter? Under the Drum edition.Reliving some of last weekend courtesy of photosbrother
15/08/2025

Choose your fighter? Under the Drum edition.

Reliving some of last weekend courtesy of photos
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🥁THANK YOU🥁It's hard to put into words how grateful we are to everyone involved in making Under the Drum 2025 happen. Fr...
11/08/2025

🥁THANK YOU🥁

It's hard to put into words how grateful we are to everyone involved in making Under the Drum 2025 happen. From the bands to the incredible staff, the photographers and friends who came to help set up, the sound team and the volunteers, the artists, the brewers and caterers, there are so many people to thank, we appreciate you all so much.

This festival truly is family run, whether we are booking bands, desigining stage artwork, hanging festoon lights, building marquees or restocking the bar of red wine after running out on the first night, and we could not do it without the goodwill and support of so many.

The music and atmosphere surpassed all our expectations, so thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, and treated our land and each other with so much respect. It was a joy to have you all here at Under The Drum.

There are plenty more photos and videos to come, but here's a few snippets, thanks to for some of these snaps.

Thank you!

- Will, Rosanna, George, Hen and David Reade


🥁 Off we go!We are so excited to welcome you to Under the Drum! kicked us off amazingly, we are looking forward to seei...
08/08/2025

🥁 Off we go!

We are so excited to welcome you to Under the Drum!

kicked us off amazingly, we are looking forward to seeing him again tomorrow!

🥁 WE ARE SO EXCITED 🥁2 days to go and we can't wait! Swipe to the end for full stage times.Tickets will be available on ...
06/08/2025

🥁 WE ARE SO EXCITED 🥁

2 days to go and we can't wait! Swipe to the end for full stage times.

Tickets will be available on the day! But why not come and camp for a night?

Some amazing acts to see, sauna, yoga, art, falconry, spoken word and delicious food and beer.

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ACTIVITIES
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BEER

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🥁 FRIDAY STAGE AND ACTIVITIES🥁For those 2 night campers we have a gorgeous evening shaping up for you! Some solo sets fr...
05/08/2025

🥁 FRIDAY STAGE AND ACTIVITIES🥁

For those 2 night campers we have a gorgeous evening shaping up for you! Some solo sets from Lewis McLaughlin and Arborist, and an exclusive to Friday performance from Elsdeer.
Then Two Step Trust and Sophie will be warming up the dance floor and getting you ready for Saturday.

And here are the times for our Saturday "extracurricular" activities.

See you soon!

🥁 FRIDAY STAGE TIMES AND ACTIVITIES🥁For those who are camping with us for two nights, we have a beautiful evening with s...
05/08/2025

🥁 FRIDAY STAGE TIMES AND ACTIVITIES🥁

For those who are camping with us for two nights, we have a beautiful evening with some solo sets from Lewis McLaughlin and Arborist, and an exclusive performance from Elsdeer.
Then Sophie and Two Step Trust will be warming you all up for the DJ sets on Saturday!

Here is also a list of the "extracurricular" activities happening at the festival on Saturday.

See you soon!

🥁SATURDAY STAGE TIMES🥁Here's the stage times for Saturday 9th August at Under The Drum Festival so you can start working...
04/08/2025

🥁SATURDAY STAGE TIMES🥁

Here's the stage times for Saturday 9th August at Under The Drum Festival so you can start working out your schedule...

🥁REGER🥁Reger is the moniker of Belfast based Robbie McCammon. A DJ and producer who has made his mark playing t events l...
01/08/2025

🥁REGER🥁

Reger is the moniker of Belfast based Robbie McCammon. A DJ and producer who has made his mark playing t events like All Together Now, Boiler Room, AVA festival, Ulster Sports Club and Banana Block.

Reger is known for his unique and intricate DJ sets that showcase a wide variety of musical flavours and selections.

Find him in the Barn for the late night DJ sessions!

🥁 WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES 🥁There's more to Under the Drum than music! We are working away on the final arrangements for...
31/07/2025

🥁 WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES 🥁

There's more to Under the Drum than music! We are working away on the final arrangements for the festival and getting things ready on site. Full info and schedule will be sent out ahead of the festival.

🎨FORAGE FOR ART - Fionnuala McGowan- 5pm in the art tent. Forage for art materials and use them to draw and mark make! This is bookable in advance with limited spaces available. Link with more information and link to book in bio.

🦅 HAWK WALKS - Exact time tbc but there will be free falconry displays by the pond, and you might even spot David walking around with a bird on his arm!

🧖‍♂️HOT BOX SAUNA - here all weekend, but why not combine it with a yoga session? Right by the pond so you can do a cold dip!

👩🏻‍🎨 PRINTMAKING - have a go at printmaking with Lucy Turner in the art tent! Drop in.

🥄 SILVERSMITHING - the wonderfully talented Claire will be running drop-in silversmithing workshops in the art tent.

🧘‍♀️ YOGA - 2 free yoga sessions with Liv B yoga on Saturday morning. Exact times TBC but most likely 10am and 12pm. No need to book but first come first served. Mats provided, but feel free to bring your own.

Address

45 Breckenhill Road
Ballyclare
BT390TB

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