After nearly 2 years of planning, The Celtic Classic, Ireland’s No.1 Festival of Motoring will arrive in Derry on Thursday 7th July 2022.
The Festival has been organised by Scenic Car Tours, the UK’s leading tour operator for the driving enthusiasts in conjunction with Visit Derry, Tourism Ireland, and Tourism Northern Ireland.
The event was originally planned for July 2021, however due to covid-19 restrictions, it ended up being delayed until this year.
Scenic operate several other festivals including the Laon Historique in France, the jersey International motoring festival and more recently, the isle of Man Festival of Motoring which launched in 2021. Following the enormous success of the Isle of Man event, Scenic started to look at other destinations for a similar event and following meetings with David Wood of Tourism Ireland in London and subsequent meetings with Karen Henderson of Visit Derry, the city of Londonderry was chosen as the location to host The Celtic Classic.
Perfectly located for participants to enjoy two of Ireland’s most iconic drives, the Causeway Coastal Route and the wild Atlantic Way plus the addition of Ebrington Square offering a great location for the event’s Car Display everything is set for what we believe will be an amazing event.
Ireland's No.1 Festival of Motoring will be based in the historic walled city of Derry and will take place from Thursday 7th to Monday 11th July 2022. Participants can choose from one of our 3 to 5-night packages including ferry crossings and a selection of great hotels to suit every taste and budget. Irish residents can join in the fun by coming out to see the cars at the static car display in Ebrington Square on Saturday. We also have a selection of 'Hotel & Event Only' packages for Irish residents who would like to participate in the festival and have a suitable vehicle to allow access to the various runs and festival activities.
After check-in at the hotel and some free time to relax, the city of Londonderry will be hosting a civic drink reception in the Guildhall. Then on Friday enjoy one of the world's greatest road journeys on the amazing Causeway Coastal Route. There is also a money can't buy opportunity to visit the Giant's Causeway without the normal tourist traffic. On Saturday the cars will all congregate for a Static Car Display in Ebrington Square overlooking Derry and the iconic Peace Bridge. During the day participants can enjoy a complimentary walking tour of Derry's City Walls and explore the shops, bars and restaurants. The Gala Dinner & Ceilidh* will be held at the City Hotel featuring traditional Irish food entertainment. Sunday the cars will spend the day in Belfast where they will park their cars on the Titanic Slipways before enjoying a complimentary tour of the city and admission to the Titanic Experience plus plenty of free time to explore the city sights and attractions. Finally, on Monday, participants will experience another spectacular drive The Wild Atlantic Way. The full route spans seven of Ireland's counties, however today, you'll experience the Northern section from Derry to Letterkenny via Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland.
