Northern Ireland Science festival is back for it’s 11th year, and since its beginning in 2015 it has only grown in scale and scope. Now featuring over 250 events across 90+ venues, the NI Science Festival offers curious people of all ages the chance to explore, learn and grow their knowledge. For this year’s festival, Climate NI has combed through the listings and selected a shortlist of events that are exploring the many different aspects and impacts of climate change, as well as what we can do to address it.

Thursday 12th February

• Designing Tomorrow with RoundView: Ulster Museum – 1030, 1130, 1330, 1430
  • An interactive workshop to co-create a positive climate narrative using the RoundView framework. Through games, puzzles, and art, explore the causes of environmental challenges and discover hopeful, practical solutions that turn climate anxiety into meaningful action.
• Professionals Workshop– Our Aquatic Environment Ulster University Belfast Campus: 1030-1530
  • This event aims to bring together diverse expertise from across the island of Ireland to critically examine ‘our aquatic environment’ and the measures being taken to protect and restore it. The theme will be explored through a variety of lenses, including policy and governance, scientific diagnosis, social awareness, interdisciplinary approaches, and climate science. The workshop will be structured around a keynote talk and two panel sessions, the first looking at threats to the aquatic environment and the second exploring policy and action to mitigate these threats.

Friday 13th February

• Bogland: Past, Present, Future, Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh – 1100:
  • Discover the last remaining plot of raised bog at the museum, hidden behind the traditional farmhouses and famine-era thatches at Ulster American Folk Park. Learn from the Park’s Curator about the bog’s vital role in Irish social history and daily life. Then hear from Ulster Wildlife and The Conservation Volunteers about efforts to restore this bog into a carbon sink, helping to combat climate change.

Tuesday 17th February

• Sustainable Management of Manures: Tackling Nutrient Challenges in NI, Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena – 1800:
  • The panel features Chris Johnston, Project Leader for Environment and Renewable Energy at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute; Jonathan McFerran, Head of Excess Nutrient Policy at DAERA; and a representative from Stream BioEnergy, offering insight into industry-led and renewable energy approaches.

Wednesday 18th February

• Climate Creation – Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast – 1330-1530:
  • These crafting workshops are open to all, providing a space to discuss feelings towards climate breakdown and the value of the arts in making sense of environmental change. The session will be run by Dr Ellen Howley and Dr Cormac Cleary from Dublin City University’s Institute for Climate and Society, with participation from climate scientists from the Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water.

Saturday 14th February

• How Bad are Bananas? QUB SU 1100-1400 –
  • A fun, fast-paced, and thought-provoking game that explores the environmental impact of our everyday choices. How Bad Are Bananas? is an engaging and interactive activity that encourages participants to reflect on what they buy, use, and throw away—and how these actions affect the planet.

Friday 20^th February

• Oral History Book Launch – Manor House Rathlin Island 1330-1430:
  • the launch of Resilient by Nature: Stories of Self-reliance and Sustainability on Rathlin Island. Drawing on a number of folklore and oral history collections, the book presents stories, memories and images of the past to show the community resilience and resourcefulness in the context of Rathlin Island.

Saturday 21^st February

Generation Hope – Ulster Museum 1000-1630:

Generation Hope is a day of inspiring workshops exploring how creativity, culture and community can help us respond to the climate crisis. Through hands-on activities and guided discussions, participants will imagine better futures, develop practical skills, and explore new ways to take positive action in their own lives. Bringing together artists, activists, scientists and young changemakers, Generation Hope creates an open space to share ideas, experiment with creative tools, and build confidence in shaping a more sustainable world.

You can book on to the individual workshops at the links below:

1030-1130: Shaping the Future: A Youth Workshop on Environmental Policy

• Led by Ruby Free – nature writer, policy officer, and advocate for youth-led change – this interactive session will give you the tools, confidence, and insider knowledge you need to participate meaningfully in environmental decision-making

1230-1400: Gen Hope Zine lab

• A hands-on workshop exploring climate action through DIY publishing. Using a mix of techniques create your own zine responding to the climate crisis — share ideas, reflect on your experiences and be creative

1430-1630: ‘Rights of Nature’ – Perspectives Within Northern Ireland

• discuss perspectives on what the ‘Rights of Nature’ means to you, whether you think Nature should or could have rights, and how that would work in the context of Northern Ireland. Utilising a scenario-based approach, alongside expert outlooks from researchers at the Climate+ Co-Centre, we’ll dive into perspectives through ‘Think-In’ breakout discussions, building an understanding of the benefits and challenges ‘Rights of Nature’ could bring to Northern Ireland at a local to national level.

Other Events on Saturday 21st February

• Green Crime with Julia Shaw – Crescent Arts 1500-1600:
  •  Dr Shaw uncovers the psychology of environmental offenders and the scientists, activists, and investigators working to stop them. A thrilling, eye-opening look at how we can fight back against those stealing our planet’s future.
• Hedge School / Plant Lab – Bank of Ireland Building, Belfast 1200, 1300 & 1400
  •  In partnership with Brink! climate collective, take a look at the science of soil and plants as a human resource. What can we learn from nature, past and present, to help us survive and thrive in a precarious future? What tools enable people to engage with and take action to mitigate climate change? Join in for some hands-on experimentation!
• Climate Emergency Department – KN Cheung SK Chin InterSim Centre Queen’s University Belfast: 1300-1400
  •  It’s 2035; rising temperatures and erratic weather events have introduced a new range of challenges for our doctors to overcome. This event is a fun and imaginative exploration into what the healthcare of the future may look like.

Sunday 22^nd February

• Designing Tomorrow with RoundView: – Ulster Museum 1030, 1130, 1330 & 1430:
  • An interactive workshop to co-create a positive climate narrative using the RoundView framework. Through games, puzzles, and art, explore the causes of environmental challenges and discover hopeful, practical solutions that turn climate anxiety into meaningful action.

 

 

There are many more events exploring topics related to climate change, including biodiversity, urban planning and exploration of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Make sure to explore the full listing of events at the NI Science Festival events page. See you all there!