From April 2–5, 2025, Queen’s hosted the second annual Reach’25 Arts and Sustainability Festival, a dynamic four-day event that brought together creativity, community, and climate awareness.  

Through a vibrant collaboration between Queen's Sustainability team, the Naughton Gallery, Queen's Film Theatre, the Seamus Heaney Centre, the MediaLab and a range of academic experts across Queen's and within the region, the festival explored some of the key climate issues of our time through image, film, music, VR, talks, panels, creative writing and painting, engineering and design, and academic debate.

The festival featured an inspiring and diverse four-day programme designed to foster positivity, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of critical climate issues. Events ranged from exhibitions and performances to workshops and discussions, engaging a wide audience in meaningful conversations about our climate.

Highlights included:  

• Little Gardeners - A fun, hands-on gardening workshop for children, including activities like seedball making, a meadow bioblitz, and a treasure hunt, hosted by Friends of the Field.  
• Art as Medicine: The Power of Social Prescribing - A panel discussion featuring academics and medical professionals exploring how creative expression can support mental and physical well-being.  
• Focus on Lough Neagh: Environmental Challenges and Solution-Artists' Response - A photo exhibition, an immersive audiovisual piece, and a panel discussion addressing the ecological challenges surrounding Lough Neagh.