Last year’s festival saw a washout on the Sunday
By Michael Kenwood Local Democracy Reporter
17:46, 16 Jan 2026
Belfast’s popular Maritime Festival is to change its schedule from September to June from next year, due to weather changes.
Belfast Council revealed in a committee paper this week that while the festival will be scheduled in the traditional September period this year, last year’s washout during the festival has made officials rethink the time of year.
A report for the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee states: “The Maritime Programme board has considered this and has proposed to host the next edition of the Festival in early June (June 6 to June 8) 2027.
A council report, published for the Climate and City Resilience Committee, which was also held this week, states: “Under a changing climate, Belfast will experience hotter drier summers and warmer wetter winters, with more extreme weather and rising sea levels. There will be an increase in average winter precipitation and in the frequency of heavy rainfall events.
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