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Roughly 5,000 bandsmen and brethren are set to take part in the latest instalment of Carrickfergus’ annual celebrations of King William of Orange landing in Ulster.

Some 41 bands are currently listed on the 11/1 form for this Saturday (June 8), with the main parade beginning at 11.30pm at Woodburn Playing Fields.

It goes down to the harbour and marine gardens, and returns to Albert Road Orange Hall at 4pm.

There are also several feeder parades through the day.

These are just part of the all-day festivities.

The first event is a historic exhibition at the town hall from 10am to 6pm, with a talk by prominent Orangeman David Hume at 2.15pm.

At 11am to 4.30pm in the castle harbour car park there will be burgers, pizzas, crepes, doughnuts, ice cream, and boba tea.

Traditional musician Willie Drennan will also be performing, and there will be a Lambeg drumming contest, and historical characters will be touring around.

At the nearby green beside the castle, from 11am to 4.30pm there will be what organisers call the "re-enactment village", where there will be what is described as an "Apprentice Boys' Siege Bus".

Voter registration will also be possible here.

The main event itself will be the landing itself, taking place in the habour from 1pm.

The spectacle has been going on for decades, but has grown over time.

For a while it was in “the doldrums,” said Councillor Billy Ashe (DUP, Carrickfergus), who remembers organising it back when there were perhaps eight bands involved.

However, last year’s edition, marking 333 years since William’s landing, had been “a highlight – and this year it’s going to be bigger and better still”.

He told the News Letter “they’re talking about 35,000 people in attendance here”.

"I know from my involvement in other parts of the Province that people are coming from all over the place to it, and they’ll be made welcome,” he said, adding he expects visitors from Great Britain… and the Republic of Ireland too.

– Why is King Billy’s landing in Carrick so significant?

"We see this as the start of the Orange festival, the Orange calendar, before the Twelfth," he added.

The town will host one of the Twelfth parades this year, involving 43 bands.

Thousands of bandsmen to troop through Carrickfergus this weekend for 2024 festival marking King Billy's landing

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