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Belfast Learning Festival Returns

Date: 19 Apr 2024


Caoimhe O’Connell from the Oh Yeah Music Centre joined Danny Power, Chair of Belfast Learning City at Belfast’s Big Fish, also known as the Salmon of Knowledge.

The Belfast Learning Festival returns to the city from Monday 22 to 28 April, offering everyone the chance to pick up a new skill or rediscover an old one. From arenas to alleys and gyms to gardens, the annual celebration of life-long learning is once again taking place in a collection of out-of-the-ordinary classrooms across the city. With 120 free events, the week-long celebration champions the chance to have a go at activities like photography, sewing, dancing and digital animation. Kicking off on World Earth Day, the theme of this year’s festival is climate action with an array of activities encouraging us to learn for the protection of our planet.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Ryan Murphy welcomed the return of the festival for its 7th year: “Creating opportunities for our citizens to embrace life-long learning is at the heart of what makes Belfast a UNESCO Learning City. The Belfast Agenda endeavours to make Belfast a great place to live and providing accessible learning opportunities for everyone is an integral part of this vision. Whether there are young people aspiring to be eco-engineers or older residents interested in broadening their cookery skills, this year’s festival provides the ability to do so.”

This year’s bumper line-up includes an innovative Data Hackathon which is encouraging technology students to test their skills by sourcing data-driven solutions to sustainable food challenges.  From a Tour of the Night Sky to DNA in a Day and Greening your Garden to an Alley Safari, the impressive array of free events is letting us all learn about the world around whether that be light years away or the space on our doorstep.belfast_learning_festival-2024

Danny Power, Chair of Belfast Learning City was pleased to see the variety of opportunities available thanks to the support of an array of city-wide providers: “The Belfast Learning Festival continues to be a superb showcase for all the learning opportunities open to citizens of the city right across the year. From community gardens to community centres, the extensive line-up is a visible demonstration of what bringing learning to life really means. As part of the Global Network of Cities, we’re committed to using learning to improve lives by sharing good practice and creative ideas in addressing key concerns that impact and enhance society.”

To find out more about the Belfast Learning Festival including the full line-up activities, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/BelfastLearningFestival

 

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