Scotland’s Human Rights Festival 2026
Save the Date: Scotland’s Human Rights Festival | 9 - 13 December 2026
Scotland’s Human Rights Festival 2026 will be the first national, multi-day festival dedicated to celebrating, explaining and strengthening support for human rights across the country. Taking place from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 December 2026, the festival will be delivered Scotland-wide, with a mix of in-person and online events.
Led by Human Rights Consortium Scotland and supported by core partners Art 27 and Libereco, the festival will bring together civil society, artists, communities, academics, policymakers and the wider public through a shared national programme.
Festival Purpose
Human rights is often framed as legal language, political argument or something that only applies to other people. Scotland’s Human Rights Festival exists to close that gap.
The festival has a clear purpose: to make human rights more visible, more accessible and more relevant. It will bring human rights out of policy papers and into stages, streets, screens and conversations across Scotland. Some events will inform. Some will challenge. Some will entertain.
Festival Programme
We are currently in the process of putting together the festival programme which is set to launch at the beginning of October. Please revisit this page for more news, and follow the festival instagram page to keep up to date with the latest! @scotlandhumanrightsfestival
If you have any queries about the festival or are interested in sponsoring the event please get in touch at events@hrcscotland.org.
About the festival core partners
Art 27 Scotland is a registered charity working at the intersection of arts and human rights. They create and produce art that celebrates and raises awareness of cultural rights, connecting communities, cultural sectors and policymakers.
Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights is an independent European NGO dedicated to human rights in Belarus and Ukraine. In Scotland, Libereco works with the Scottish Government and MSPs to support Belarusian political prisoners and those working toward a free and fair Belarus.
Download the festival logo here.
