Celebrating 10 years of Carlisle’s Unity Festival! This will be an afternoon of fun, thought-provoking activities, talks, workshops and performances to bring people together to reflect on issues affecting people and planet.
Organised by a diverse range of local community groups, organisations, artists and volunteers.

• All activities are in wheelchair accessible spaces and there will be a ‘quiet’ gazebo in the garden for anyone who needs some time out away from the busy festival.
• Most content is suitable for all ages but please check each activity.

Carlisle One World Centre Faith Walk

10.45am – 12.15pm 

Meet outside Carlisle Seventh Day Adventist Church, 13 Finkle st, CA3 8UU. 

The group will visit Quaker meeting house, Border Kirk, St. George’s URC and finishing at Tullie Museum with the Cumbria Hindu association (in the Tullie gardens or auditorium).

Carlisle One World Centre BIG LUNCH

12 – 1pm / Tullie Museum Gardens 

A shared lunch for Carlisle Unity Festival contributors and wider community. Light snacks provided or bring a plate to share and enjoy some locally-sourced food together.  

Carlisle Unity Festival opening ceremony  

12.30pm / Tullie entrance 

The Mayor of Carlisle, Anne Glendinning will open what will be the 10^th Carlisle Unity Festival. Join the Unity festival team to hear why unity is more important than ever.  

Hear the Unity bell ring and afterwards – launch into the different activities we have planned for you to enjoy! 

Diversity Carnival Crafts  

1-4pm / City Hall Studio 

Join the International Women’s group and PiNC to make art for the Carlise Diversity Carnival 2026.  

The Carlisle Diversity Carnival (organised by Pride in North Cumbria) is happening on Saturday 20^th June and will be a day filled with celebration, culture, and unity. The carnival will showcase the vibrant diversity of Cumbria through music, dance, food, and art.  

PiNC empowers LGBTQIA+ youth in Carlisle and Maryport — offering support, community, and a safe space for ages 13 to 25. 

The Carlisle International Women’s Group (CIWG) is a welcoming, inclusive community for internationally minded women in the Carlisle area. They host monthly coffee mornings and cultural gatherings to help reduce isolation and build friendships. 

The Decent Human Being Club   

1–4pm / City Hall Studio  

Join The Decent Human Being Club for conversation, creativity and family-friendly craft activities exploring what it means to be decent in a world that often rewards the opposite. While a small but vocal minority can make toxicity feel normal, most people still value kindness, respect and community. 

Come together to give decency its voice back, connect with others, and explore how the choices we make every day can help shape a better culture for ourselves, our families and our communities. 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust: Work in Allonby Bay 

1.15-1.45pm / Auditorium 

Join a 45-minute talk with Joe Harper in The Auditorium on the Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), marine life in the bay, and the more general work Cumbria Wildlife Trust (CWT) are doing to protect, and engage with the communities, in and around Allonby Bay, followed by a Q & A for 15 mins. 

Singh Twins & Carlidoscope Art Talk  

1.30-2pm / Old Tullie House 

Artworks contain racist imagery that may be triggering, and partial nudity.  

Sign up on the day at Tullie’s welcome desk. Suitable for 16+ (suggestion) 

‘Indiennes: The Extended Triangle’ by the Singh Twins aims to connect viewers to the intertwined histories of colonialism, global trade, and environmental change, encouraging reflection on how these historical issues continue to shape the modern world. Join us for a an on-gallery talk to learn more about the artwork’s hidden meanings, as well as a deeper look into the inspiration behind two new beautiful commissioned artworks by Carlidoscope artists –  ‘Memories of being the ocean’ by Dani Kazuko Münzel and ‘Ripple effects by Echo Zheng.  

Under the Sea Q&A with Cumbria Wildlife Trust  

 2-2.45pm / Under Driggsby the whale in the Carlisle Gallery  

Ever wondered how old sharks are? What is the biggest animal to ever exist in the sea? How can we help protect our ocean from damage? Come and ask a marine biologist these questions and any others you have about the ocean and its life. Come and ask a real life marine biologist in a drop-in talk by Driggsby the whale in the Carlisle Gallery. 

EssenceByDevontee – Afrocentric Fashion Show 

 2-2.45pm / Tullie Welcome Area 

A vibrant Afrocentric flash-mob fashion show showcasing stunning handmade garments by EssenceByDevontee. Join us for an unforgettable celebration of music, fashion, culture, and good vibes. Discover timeless African-inspired pieces crafted for the modern woman—bold, elegant, and full of character. 

Moving Together with Dance Ahead  

2-3.30pm / Auditorium stage floor  

In advance of the summer launch of The Human Playground, Zoë Leigh Gadd invites you to connect and move together in a welcoming, inclusive workshop in the Auditorium. Beginning with an open, guided process, participants will explore movement, physical trust-building and spatial awareness, responding to each other and the space around them. This intergenerational session is open to all (under-12s please be accompanied by an adult) and encourages playful exploration, connection and shared experience. 

Dance Ahead CIC is a Carlisle-based dance theatre company creating inclusive, immersive experiences in unexpected spaces. Led by choreographer Zoë Leigh Gadd, the company brings people together through movement and creativity, transforming everyday environments into spaces for connection, expression and community. 

Community Action & Resilience Talk  

3-3.30pm / Auditorium 

Join Aftab Khan for a presentation on Community Resilience; learn what action the individual and the wider community can take, assess risks and responses, find out what steps will help you to be more prepared in case of sudden emergencies or unforeseen circumstances, particularly in an uncertain world dealing with the impact of climate change and the knock on effects of destabilising global events. Learn the best tips on how to boost your knowledge, networks and preparedness.   

Sandar Aftab Khan is Senior Emergency Planning Officer and part of the Joint Emergency Management and Resilience (JEMR) Team, at Westmorland and Furness Council.  

Planting Seeds of Radical Hope with Anti Racist Cumbria 

1 – 4 / Tullie gardens (under shelter) 

Join Anti-Racist Cumbria to learn more about what they do, ask about how you can get involved, and plant some seeds while you’re at it.  

Anti Racist cumbria and a team of anti-racist professionals who are committed to: 

• Learning. Enriching their own and supporting others with theirs. 
• Excellence. Bringing their best to all they do and say. 
• Fairness. Recognising that views may differ but shared humanity doesn’t. 
• Belonging. Supporting environments where people can be themselves. 
• Action. Challenging inaction in ourselves and others.  

SpeakEasy Poetry Open Mic –

1-1.45pm / Reading Room

SpeakEasy spoken word open mic is at Unity Festival in the Reading Room at Tullie. You would be welcome to share words, spoken, sung, poetry about you, me, the world and in celebration of the communities in which we live. 

SpeakEasy is an open mic based in Carlisle, started in 2004, which showcases local writers, poets, artists, musicians and storytellers. Anthologies of work shared at SpeakEasy are available from Caldew Press. In the Reading Room.  

Unity Zines  

1-4pm / City Hall Studio  

A creative environment where everyone is invited to come and create zines, collages, and pieces of work that exemplify or explore themes such as: themselves, their presence within the community of Carlisle, or their thoughts and feelings about events happening from Carlisle to the other side of the planet.  

Aidan who will be leading the workshop is both the Wellbeing Officer for the UCSU and a Fine Art graduate from the University of Cumbria, using art as both expression and fun is a constant! We want to welcome everyone to come and express themselves, explore creativity, or simply have a fun time with some cool art materials!  

‘Leaves of Dhaka’ Mindful Social Crafting  

1-4pm / City Hall Studio 

Creating and stitching beautiful textile leaves which commemorate each of the lives lost in the Rana Plaza textile factory collapse in Bangladesh in April 2013. 
Over 1100 garment workers – mostly women – were killed while making clothing for our High Street chains, and thousands more were injured. 
Creating these leaves is a mindful social crafting activity that participants appreciate – all welcome to join in. 

Our Leaves of Dhaka making project is collecting the leaves we stitch together in order to create a collective installation. 
Leaves of Dhaka is curated by Daniella Southin, founder of Women Creating Waves, in collaboration with Sewing Cafe Lancaster. 

All ages: beginners and expert stitchers welcome. 
Children welcome and we can adapt the method if sewing with a needle isn’t possible. 

Session led by Chuck Whitehead and colleagues. Chuck is an artist and gardener who co-facilitates community projects in Cumbria and Lancashire. 

Unity in Music! 

2-3.30 / Reading Room 

Grab a drink, get comfortable and enjoy musical performances from Stephen Dunn, Katus Young, Henry Goodwin and Jude Davison. 

Closing Reflections, Thanks and Raffle draw 

3.30 / Reading Room 

Join us while we reflect on the day and take some time to say thank you to all the Unity Festival contributors and guests.  

Community Stalls 

12 – 4 / Reading room and welcome spaces 

We’ll also be joined by some wonderful community stalls who would love to share what they do. Some have prepared fun activities and have cool things for sale to support their work.  

Stalls include: 

• Cumbria Wildlife Trust 
• Essence by Devontee 
• Carlisle Haiku poetry 
• Carlisle One World Centre / Carlisle Refugee Action Group / City of Sanctuary  
• Michelle Russell 
• Cumbria Clothing Collective 
• Sustainable Carlisle  
• PiNC  
• Multicultural Cumbria  
• Bee Unique  

Carlisle Unity Festival is kindly supported by Cumberland Council.