Current Time in Ballymena, Northern Ireland
The live time in Ballymena (County Antrim), with the GMT or BST status, the next clock change and sunrise and sunset through the year.
About time in Ballymena
Ballymena is a County Antrim town known for Wrightbus, which builds London's New Routemaster buses there, so the red buses on London's streets began life in Northern Ireland. The actor Liam Neeson was born in the town, and the Slemish mountain, linked to St Patrick, is nearby.
The Wrightbus factory in Ballymena has produced buses for cities across the UK and abroad. London's buses run to tight timetables, so the new buses that leave this factory spend their lives keeping time on the capital's busiest routes.
Ballymena is about 6.3 degrees west of Greenwich, so the sun rises about 25 minutes later than in London. It is about 35 minutes from Belfast by road.
- Wrightbus builds London's New Routemaster here.
- Liam Neeson was born in Ballymena.
- Slemish, associated with St Patrick, is nearby.
About 30,000 people live in Ballymena. At 54.86 degrees north and 6.28 degrees west of Greenwich, true solar noon here falls about 25 minutes after clock noon. The clock itself always matches the rest of the UK.
Sunrise and sunset in Ballymena through the year
Times for the 15th of each month in UK local time (GMT or BST). Calculated from the city's latitude and longitude.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:40 | 16:29 | 7h 48m |
| February | 07:48 | 17:31 | 9h 43m |
| March | 06:41 | 18:28 | 11h 47m |
| April | 06:23 | 20:28 | 14h 05m |
| May | 05:18 | 21:25 | 16h 06m |
| June | 04:46 | 22:04 | 17h 18m |
| July | 05:06 | 21:54 | 16h 48m |
| August | 05:59 | 20:58 | 15h 00m |
| September | 06:56 | 19:42 | 12h 46m |
| October | 07:53 | 18:27 | 10h 34m |
| November | 07:55 | 16:22 | 8h 27m |
| December | 08:42 | 15:57 | 7h 15m |
Ballymena time compared with the world
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Time in nearby cities
Clock change guides
- What Is Daylight Saving Time (DST)? A Plain-English GuideWhat daylight saving time is, how it works in the UK, Europe and the US, why it exists, its history, who uses it and the argument over scrapping it.
- Why Do the Clocks Go Back in October? The Real ReasonThe clocks go back in autumn to return the UK to GMT, so winter mornings are lighter. The history, the rule, what time it happens and what changes for you.
- When Do the Clocks Go Forward Again After Going Back?When the UK clocks go forward again after the autumn change, how long the UK stays on GMT, when evenings get lighter and how to remember to reset your clocks.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Ballymena in?
Ballymena is in the UK time zone. It uses Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) in winter and British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) in summer, the same as the rest of the UK.
When do the clocks change in Ballymena?
The clocks go forward at 01:00 on the last Sunday of March and back at 02:00 on the last Sunday of October. In 2026 that is Sunday, 29 March 2026 and Sunday, 25 October 2026.
How much daylight does Ballymena get in summer and winter?
Around 17h 21m at the June solstice and 7h 12m at the December solstice, based on its latitude of 54.9 degrees north.
Is Ballymena on the same time as London?
Yes. All UK clocks show the same time. Because Ballymena is 6.3 degrees west of Greenwich, solar noon here is about 25 minutes after clock noon (GMT), but the clocks do not differ.
Where are London's buses made?
The New Routemaster was built by Wrightbus in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
How far is Ballymena from Belfast?
About 30 miles, around 40 minutes by road.