After a successful debut last year, the Antrim hills will once again come alive with music as Under the Drum Festival returns for 2025. The beautiful site at Breckenhill will play host to some of the best rock, folk, electronic and soul acts from across the island on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th August.
The line-up certainly pulls no punches especially when you’ve the bruising punk of Problem Patterns, NI Music Prize winner Arborist, the psychedelic indie of Junk Drawer & George Houston fresh from his appearance on Jools Holland along with a host of other talent.
Hosted by the Reade family, this festival isn’t just about music. Visitors can also indulge in yoga, browse an art market, witness falconry displays, soak up some spoken word from the Seamus Heaney Centre, go wild swimming or relax in an on-site sauna.
“Our size is our strength,” says Rosanna Reade. “It allows us to be genuine in our ethical and environmental aims of being low-waste, low-impact and supporting brands that we believe in. It’s allowed us to curate a list of bands and artists that we love as we aren’t trying to fill a huge set list. We believe the atmosphere harks back to the old school festivals. Being smaller also means that you won’t ever be queuing for hours, or even minutes. “
Both camping and day tickets are available for the festival and can be purchased directly from the Under the Drum website.
