Culture and Community at Red Sails Festival 2025

The Red Sails Festival 2025 came to a spectacular close on Saturday 26 July, ending a week-long celebration of music, arts, culture, and community spirit in the heart of Portstewart.

Now in its 57th year, the Red Sails Festival has grown from its roots as the Portstewart Carnival, first held in 1968 by St Mary’s Star of the Sea Parish into one of Northern Ireland’s most cherished cross-community festivals. Renamed in 2000 after Red Sails in the Sunset, written by Jimmy Kennedy while visiting Portstewart, the festival continues to reflect the town’s vibrant cultural heritage.

Organised by the Portstewart Community Association (PCA) and supported by Radius Housing and more than 60 local volunteers, the 2025 festival offered over 80 free events across the town, drawing thousands of visitors including local families, tourists, and returning residents.

This year’s festival featured a rich and inclusive programme, including Live music, Irish and Scottish dancing, jazz, ceilidh, and drumming. There were children’s events like puppet shows, sandcastle competitions, petting zoo, storytelling, treasure hunts, and workshops. Visitors enjoyed, cultural exhibitions, including maritime heritage, local art, and interdenominational church services as well as the community-wide favourites such as the fancy dress parade, street theatre, face painting, and beach games.

A standout moment of the week was a collaborative performance in Star of the Sea Church with participants from refugee and migrant backgrounds, produced by Beyond Skin and Radius Housing. This moving event celebrated cultural diversity through music and storytelling, offering a unique space for connection and shared experience.

This is a festival that gives back. It utilises venues across Portstewart, from churches and hotels to the National Trust’s beach and Radius Housing’s Cappagh Green Shared Housing Development. This all helped broaden the festival’s reach and accessibility. Local traders enjoyed a major boost in footfall, with many reporting their busiest week of the year. Visitors from across Northern Ireland, including families from under-served areas, took part in the free, family-friendly events.

Fiona Shannon, Chair of Portstewart Community Association, said:
“Red Sails continues to grow, not just in numbers but in its impact. It brings people together, showcases local talent, and builds pride in our community. We’re deeply grateful to all the volunteers, partners, and performers who made 2025 such a success.”

Melanie Rintoul, HfA Manager from Radius Housing Association, said:

"The 2025 Red Sails Festival was a tremendous success, drawing record crowds and showcasing the very best of Portstewart’s vibrant culture and community spirit. Radius Housing were proud to partner with Portstewart Community Association in supporting this fantastic celebration, which brings people together and highlights everything that makes this town special. A big thank you to everyone who helped make it such a success."

The festival concluded in true Red Sails style - with a spectacular fireworks display over Portstewart Bay, lighting up the coastline and bringing the week of celebration to a breath-taking finale.

The event organised by Portstewart Community Association works in partnership with Radius Housing Association. The Red Sails Festival is supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme.

The Programme has its origins in the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society. £6.5 Million has been invested in the Cappagh Green Shared Housing Development and associated five-year Good Relations Plan.”