Royal Black Institution set to step out for Last Saturday parades - Where are the parades being held

The Royal Black will mark the finale of the parading season, the Last Saturday, with six major demonstrations.

Around 17,000 members will take part in parades at six locations – Bangor, Ballyclare, Dromore, Killylea, Portrush and Sion Mills.

Speaking to the News Letter ahead of the Last Saturday parades, Sovereign Grand Master Rev William Anderson said: “The Royal Black Institution continues to grow from strength to strength. There is a great vibrancy among our preceptories and districts as we reach the finale of another successful parading season.

“The Last Saturday parades are a wonderful showcase for our tradition and culture, and follow the resounding successes of our annual demonstration at Scarva on July 13 and at Maguiresbridge in Co Fermanagh on August 6, among our other events.

“Our August 27 parades are expected to attract tens of thousands of supporters for an occasion of pageantry, music, culture and history - a day that everyone in the family can enjoy.

“The institution’s Christian ethos and reformed faith will be to the fore at all our demonstration venues on the Last Saturday.”

The seaside resort of Bangor is the venue for the largest demonstration.

A total of 105 preceptories and 95 bands will parade through Bangor to the demonstration field at Ward Park.

Hosts are Bangor Royal Black chapter No 13, and the parade is scheduled to start at noon, with the return procession at 4pm.

Fourteen districts will take part – Lower Iveagh (Dromore), Lecale, Castlewellan, Newry, Ballynahinch, Banbridge, Rathfriland, Mourne, Largymore (Lisburn), Comber, Newtownards, Saintfield, Bangor and Lurgan.

Elsewhere, Ballyclare Royal Black District Chapter No 6 hosted the Last Saturday in 2014 and will do so again this year. It was their turn to host again in 2020 but the impact of the pandemic meant the postponement of those plans until this year.

City of Belfast Grand Black Chapter will parade in Dromore, Co Down, where a total of 48 preceptories from seven districts will be accompanied by around 30 bands.

Primatial Royal Black District No 4 will host the annual demonstration in the Co Armagh village of Killylea.The Co Londonderry demonstration, meanwhile, is to take place in Portrush, while Omagh Royal Black District Chapter No 4 is the host in Sion Mills.