Highlands and Islands Climate Festival 2026

The Highlands and Islands Climate Hub are looking forward to hosting the 2026 celebrations from the 1st – 30th September. The festival will shine a spotlight on the hard-working communities 
taking positive climate action not just in Sutherland, but across Highland, Orkney & Shetland.

By Marion Reid

The theme for 2026 is “Think Local”, with a specific focus on food and celebration. This is because the festival’s parent organisation, the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, will celebrate its 5th Birthday in the same month! The Highlands and Islands Climate Hub was one of two pilot projects to support community-led climate action, and is now part of a network of 24 Hubs all over Scotland, funded by Scottish Government. Many of the Hubs host their own version of a climate festival, with many taking place in September to coincide with the Scottish Climate Week. The Network is a powerful tool for communities to collectively share their voice and highlight the work of communities fighting against the climate emergency.


How to participate


Communities are encouraged to participate with the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival by hosting climate action events in September. These can be events already in planning or special activities exclusively organised for the festival. Events can be listed within the festivals digital programme and a contribution of £150 to support the planning and costs of events is available. The event contribution fund is open until the 26th June 2026 via the festival’s website.

Within the website, communities can also benefit from a range of resources to help with the planning and preparation of events with everything from health and safety guidance to a branding pack to support poster and social media graphic creation. There’s also the programme from the 2025 festival which is sure to provide inspiration should communities be stuck for what they could host. 


Events like film screenings, fashion swaps, growing days, repair sessions and volunteer celebrations have always been popular within the programme and we can’t wait to see what ideas come forward this year. Organisers are pleased to have worked with the Highland Good Food Partnership to promote the specific theme of food and have listed their helpful FEAST toolkit on the website as a resource and will issue it to all groups who receive funding from the event contribution fund. The toolkit supports users to plan and prepare for local food celebrations which will allow communities to incorporate a food element into their activity, or host a whole event which is exclusively focussed on the incredible food grown and produced right here in the Highlands and Islands. 


Individuals can look forward to the digital programme being ready from mid-August so you can plan which events you’d like to attend and mark them in your calendar.


Funding


As well as the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival, the Hub is pleased to be working on a range of new and ongoing projects. The Climate Action Fund will reopen on the 1st August 2026 and supports applications of up to £1,000. Members are also invited to form a panel which supports the decision-making process of the fund. This opportunity allows members to see the incredible range of ideas that come in and be part of the conversation as to who should be supported financially. It does not affect any group’s ability to apply to the fund. 


The team has also been working hard on some new initiatives for 2026 including the Highlands and Islands Climate Collective and the Climate Craic Podcast.


The Highlands and Islands Climate Collective launched in April 2026 with an online event. The Collective is a dedicated space for people aged 16 – 30 with an interest in opportunities to support a sustainable career. It’s led by two project officers employed by the Hub who are both young people, and an independent Youth Advisory Board who shape the collective and its offering to ensure it best suits the needs of young people in the Highlands and Islands. 


The Climate Craic Podcast launched its first episode during Green Health Week in May, with an interview with Dan Jenkins from NHS Highland’s Health Improvement Team and the Green Health Partnership. The podcast is designed to further amplify the voice of the Hub and its members and celebrate every day community-led climate action.