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Date: 2 June 2026
Get your brains and bodies ready to move, make, create and explore as the Belfast Learning Festival returns for its ninth year, bringing a packed programme of activities to venues all over the city.
From Monday 8th to Sunday 14th June, everyone is invited to take part in free lessons, classes, workshops, and events, covering a wide range of skills and activities. There is something for everyone, regardless of age, experience, or talent.
Learning happens everywhere, from our classrooms to community centres, libraries to lecture theatres, cafés to cultural venues, workplaces to waterfront spaces.
To give you an idea of the range of activities on offer: you can relax your body with meditation, yoga and the ancient tradition of sound baths, or raise your heartrate with a variety of exercise and dance classes as well as guided walks. Get your brain in gear by joining a discussion group, attending a talk, or trying a new language. And if you’re more of a practical learner and like to get your hands involved, you can learn to mend and sew, paint pictures, weave willow, work with wood, garden, or try out a new instrument. There are also opportunities to do things you’ve never even thought of, like trying out combat robotics, destroying old cameras for an art project, or finding out about the feminist history of Belfast.
Learning takes many different forms and is something you can do no matter what stage you are in life. You don’t need qualifications to join in; nor do you need to pay as all festival events are FREE. You just need to be open to learning something new, or developing an existing skill, and register for any of the free events that tickle your fancy.
This annual celebration of lifelong learning is made possible by key partners in the Learning City Collective, who work alongside Belfast City Council. Community Organisations alongside academic institutions like Belfast Met, Queen’s University, University of Ulster play a huge part in delivering the programme. The festival is co-funded by the Public Health Agency, in recognition of the fact that learning is one of the 5 steps to wellbeing.
High Sheriff of Belfast, Alderman Frank McCoubrey welcomed the festival’s return, stating: " As a UNESCO City of Learning, Belfast has a commitment to ensuring our residents have access to the gift of lifelong learning. The Belfast Learning Festival is a bit like a taster menu, offering up lots of choices. You can try a bit of this, a bit of that and sample new things to see if you like them.
“We’re very lucky to work alongside fantastic partners from all over the city, who help us deliver a festival that celebrates learning in all its forms, connects people throughout the city, and proves that learning really can happen anywhere. I’d encourage everyone to look at the programme and see what’s on offer this year.”
To find out more about the Belfast Learning Festival and view the full programme of events, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/belfastlearningfestival