Saturday 21st June - Long Light, Loud Stories, Beautiful Trouble
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10am-4pm: Friends of the Earth Artivism (Drop In Anytime Event)
Get creative with collage and lino printing to design bold badges and EPA postcards. A hands-on workshop where you can cut, print, paste, and make your message seen — perfect for all ages and skill levels!
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11am-1pm: Grá Fiánta (Workshop)
Herbalism for Climate Activists
Plants are some of our fiercest allies in the fight for climate justice, and plant medicine is a powerful way to strengthen and sustain our activism.
In this workshop, you will meet some of these plant allies and hear their medicine story. You will also learn how to identify them and find them growing locally.
Together we will make herbal remedies that we can use to support ourselves and each other through challenging times.
Leasha is a community folk herbalist; she works under the name 'Grá Fiánta' which means ‘fierce love’. Leasha's work is rooted in the city ecosystem and is guided by principles of solidarity, mutual aid, and reciprocity.
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11am – 3pm: Climate Craic – Jewellery Upcycling (Workshop)
Free | Beginner friendly | 16yr+ (or children with parental supervision)
Join us for drop-in jewellery-making sessions!
Jewellery upcycling is a great way to create bespoke pieces of jewellery, while also helping the planet. Whether you want to give an existing necklace, bracelet or brooch a new lease of life, or are interested in finding out how to create something new from materials foraged from elsewhere, we are here to help!
Our workshop is open to all ages, but there’s a special joy that comes with helping kids explore their creativity and develop their fine motor skills. All while using materials already in existence that at one point lost their significance. -
10.30am-1.30pm Plant Your Own (Drop In Anytime Event)
(3 x 1hr workshops) – Community Garden Support
Come and join Miriam, Patricia and Conor from Community Garden Support joined by Brenda Gough from the Three Sisters Community Garden to plant up some pollinator plants. It's not too late to attract bees and butterflies to your garden, pots, or window sills.
Workshop Suitable for all - plants and pots supplied!
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1-1.30pm / 2-2.30pm / 4-4.30pm: Music by Siulacht (Drop In Anytime Event)
Síúlacht are a Belfast-based female duo between harp and cello. Their sound is haunting, inspired by old bardic chants with a frisky twist; cheeky and wild, played on historically "serious" instruments.
Between the lunchtime screenings and the afternoon panels, Síúlacht will perform pieces with lyrics that span from Kraftwerk-inspired '01:Digital Love' to whimsical homages to female friendship, outrage at Tony Blair's comments on mental health, and stories told by our grandparents about priests and rabbits.
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1.30-2.30pm – I just can’t stop myself - just don’t call me a campaigner! (Panel)
There are not dozens, or hundreds but thousands of environmental campaigners in this part of the world. On stage you will hear from a diverse range of these local heroes. Each one will have three minutes to tell a story of what has been successful in their campaigns and share one highlight, and they might even tell us tell us what keeps them going. You might hear about being a barefoot planner, a silent leader, a water defender, or a keeper of sacred land, or you might be holding power to account by being a prankster, a printer, or a persuader.
Chaired by James Orr, NI Director, Friends of the Earth
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3-4pm - Beautiful Trouble: Rights and Rebellion (Panel)
The panel will explore the core principles and tactics that can drive creative rebellion and try to tease out some design principles that can both defend and extend rights. We will ask how we can all rebel against ecological wreckage and deepening inequality. The joys and the perils of movement building will be discussed and how we can all be part of some beautiful trouble and the birthing of a stronger movement for transformational changes.
Bernadette McAliskey (Civil Rights Leader)
Emma Dearnaley (Head of Legal at River Action)
Film Screenings
10am-2pm
(Drop In Anytime Event)
"Friends of the Earth Nature's Keepers" is a series of short films that highlight the work of individuals and groups protecting nature in Northern Ireland. These "Nature's Keepers" are often ordinary people who are becoming extraordinary environmental advocates, working to preserve biodiversity and reverse environmental damage. The films showcase their efforts across various locations, including the coast, mountains, and ancient woodlands.
These protectors’ efforts to preserve biodiversity and reverse its devastating loss have been beautifully captured on film. So let yourself relax, be transported from the magnificent coast by the Mourne mountains to the atmospheric ancient woodland of Prehen in Derry, and meet some of Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland’s Nature’s Keepers.
In partnership with
Cyanotype Workshop: Celebrating the Summer Solstice In collaboration with Belfast Print Workshop
What to Expect:
We’ll begin the day by meeting at The Brink! site at 65 Union Street, BT1 2JG, where we’ll collect natural materials from the garden — leaves, flowers, and found textures that reflect the vibrant energy of summer.
Then we’ll head to Belfast Print Workshop, where you’ll learn how to create striking cyanotype prints (sun prints) using light-sensitive chemicals and UV exposure. You’ll arrange your collected items to produce bold, botanical-inspired blue-and-white images — perfect as art prints, cards, or keepsakes.
This workshop is managed by the Belfast Print Workshop.
Closing Night Party
6-11pm: BBC Radio Ulster Solstice Live from the Brink!
Celebrate the Summer Solstice with BBC Radio Ulster — Live from Brink! in Belfast City Centre
Folk, funk and future sounds come together for a special solstice broadcast from Belfast's bold new festival of climate, culture and conversation.
This Summer Solstice, tune in and turn up for a unique celebration of music and midsummer magic as BBC Radio Ulster broadcasts live from Brink!, a brand-new cultural festival set in the heart of Belfast City Centre.
Marking the longest day of the year, this special live radio event will showcase the spirit of Brink! — a festival where climate action, creativity and community meet.
Marking the longest day of the year, this special live radio event will showcase the spirit of Brink! — a festival where climate action, creativity and community meet.
The evening kicks off with an evocative journey through folk and traditional music from Ireland and beyond, curated and presented by the renowned Neil Martin — acclaimed composer, producer and musician, whose work bridges the old and the new with soul and skill.
As the sun begins to dip, the vibe shifts with Inna Rhythm with Kwame Daniels — a genre-spanning sonic adventure from vinyl collector and DJ Kwame Daniels. Expect everything from disco to boogie, electronica to Afrobeat, jazz to funk — all delivered with passion, purpose and deep grooves.
Join us on-site at Brink! or tune in to BBC Radio Ulster for this unmissable celebration of sound, light and story. Whether you’re dancing under the Belfast sky or listening from home, it’s a moment to mark — the turning of the seasons, the power of music, and the beginning of something bold.
Food & Drink
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Coffee & Tea
Native Coffee are about more than just serving coffee, they host a variety of independent businesses and artists from Belfast and across Northern Ireland. They have built their community on coffee, connection and creativity - check out their Climate Cafes & Sober Socials.
They’re going to be serving hot drinks through the day.
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Pastries
Bakari Bakery are a family-run artisan bakery in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Inspired by Scandinavian baking traditions, we strive to bring the people of Belfast delicious baked goods using local, organic ingredients where possible and imported organic where necessary.
They’re supplying our beautiful pastries each day.
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Food
Rather than bringing food trucks onto our site, we would love if you would support our food neighbours - the local businesses who serve up amazing food from pizzas to bagels, from lebanese to cheese - we’re spoiled, so please support them.
Deerah, The Boxing Hare, Bodega Bagels, Mikes Fancy Cheese .. don’t forget the Watson food hatch!
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Drinks
Our favourite bar in Belfast just happens to be our neighbour too & have been an important part of our events during our time on the Belfast Stories site. During the festival the Sunflower Pub will be our bar partner during the evening events on the site.
Brink! is a social enterprise using culture to engage with people on issues related to the climate crisis.
We work and play at the point of change exploring new ways to think and act in our city.
This June, Summer Solstice from the Brink! brings 10 days of culture, conversation and climate action to Belfast.
We’re also on the hunt for a new home — so every penny you chip in helps us keep creating space for bold ideas and big change.