The very first festival, under the auspices of the Young People's Guild of the First Presbyterian Church, Carrickfergus was held on 14th March 1921 and ran for 3 years before becoming The Carrickfergus Musical Festival Association.


May 1924 then saw the first event under this new guise. There were 48 classes in the syllabus for that year of which 40 were music and 8 elocution. From the minute book it is known that entries were received in 7 of the elocution classes. The elocution adjudicator was Mr James Stewart. The music adjudicator was Sir Richard R Terry. Both adjudicators were noted to have been very popular in giving their kindly but well informed criticisms which were calculated to help and inspire both competitors and teachers. The committee recorded their appreciation of the generous support received from the public noting that the attendance at all sessions was very gratifying and sometimes the hall was "crowded to inconvenience".

The Carrickfergus Musical Festival Association continued to grow from this moment on and, with the exception of the war years i.e. 1939 to 1947 when there was no festival, has been one of the most successful annual events in the town.