Festival of Flax

11am to 3pm: 12th September 2026

Ligoniel Dams

From flax we can make linen. The linen industry shaped Belfast, but almost nothing of it survives. Have you ever seen a flax flower? Do you know how to get fibre from the flax stem?

Come along to the Festival of Flax to explore the part flax played in our past. Could it play a part in our present and future? We're keen to hear what you think.

At the Festival you'll get a chance to harvest flax plants and process them for fibres.

You'll see how the fibres can be spun into yarn, and how the yarn can be woven into cloth.

You'll see old maps and photographs showing how central flax and linen production were in 19th-century Belfast.

You'll find out about the local linen industry on a guided walking tour.

Activities will include:

Group harvesting of the flax that’s growing up at the dam
Rippling seeds from the harvested flax
Working with the retted & dried flax from Ligoniel Garden & Waterworks Garden
Spinning & plying demonstration ( have a go at making necklaces and bracelets)
Working with drop spindles
Working with a table loom & mini looms
A linen heritage walk around the dams

There will be food and drink and you can bring your children.

All are welcome, but accessibility to the site is limited.

You can access the festival location via paths from Thornberry Road (https://maps.app.goo.gl/j3yW7xi4siWKTcqt7) or Thornberry Mews (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xrTjgMu8RdxLNbkR7)

Travel

To get to Thornberry Road (in the Ligoniel area) from Belfast city centre, take the Translink Metro Service 11C or Service 12B. Board the bus from the city centre (such as Donegall Square North), and alight on Mill Avenue or near Ligoniel, which leaves you with a short walk up to Thornberry Road.

Parking is limited as it is a residential area, so please be considerate to the people who live there.

Contact the host of Festival of Flax

There were 0 errors found in the information you submitted: