Demonstrations in six venues

There will be opportunities at most of the venues for people to contribute to the Royal Black Charity Appeal for The Alzheimer’s Society. In the past decade the Institution has raised £420,000 for a number of different charities and this year it has chosen to support the Alzheimer’s Society.

The Sovereign Grand Master Millar Farr said: “We are delighted to be associated with the Alzheimer’s Society and promote the excellent work they are doing. One in three people over the age of 65 will die with dementia. Hopefully the Royal Black Institution can raise a considerable amount of money this year to help fund research and education in this field. We would ask all our members and their families to support this very worthy cause.”

Eighty preceptories will take part in the demonstration in Larne.

The parade will assemble at Bridge Street at 12.30pm and go via High Street, Upper Main Street, Main Street, Curran Road, Bay Road, Chaine Memorial Road, Rugby Road to Sandy Bay Playing Fields.

The preceptories will come from six districts – Lisburn, Ballymena, Antrim, Larne, Ballymoney and Ballyclare.

It is expected there will be 78 bands in the parade and 3,000 members of the Royal Black Institution on parade.

The platform proceedings will begin at 3pm under the chairman, Paul Gregg, Larne District Master.The preacher at the service of worship will be Rev. Robert Campbell, Grand Chaplain, Co. Antrim.

The demonstration was last held in Larne in 2006.

Seventy two preceptories and a similar number of bands will take part in the demonstration in Cookstown.

The City of Belfast Grand Black Chapter demonstration will be held in Belfast, for the first time ever. Previously the Belfast parade was held in various provincial towns.

It is expected that there will be 63 preceptories on parade, including 2,300 members of the Institution. They will be accompanied by 33 bands.

The Last Saturday demonstration will be held in the Tyrone town of Plumbridge, for the first time since 1958.

There will be approximately 1,000 members of the Royal Black Institution on parade, in 24 preceptories, and accompanied by 22 bands.

The demonstration in Portrush will have 36 preceptories representing districts in Raphoe, South Londonderry,City of Londonderry and Coleraine. The parade was last held in Portrush in 1987.

Thirty four bands will accompany the parade which begins at mid-day and will go via Eglinton Street, Kerr Street, Ramore Avenue, Landsdown Road, Bath Street, Main Street and Causeway Street to the demonstration field.

The platform proceedings are at 2pm and the chairman will be Ivan Kelly, County Grand Master of Londonderry.

The principal speaker will be Robert Dane, Assistant Sovereign Grand Master.

The biggest demonstration of the day will be in Ballynahinch where 5,000 members of the Royal Black Institution will be on parade. A total of 113 preceptories and 100 bands will take part in the parade.