Beth Nawr? Festival 2026

SAve the Date: 20 – 21 June

After a sold-out first edition, our systems festival returns to Black Mountains College in 2026. Bigger, bolder, and bursting with imagination and enthusiasm for a better world. 

20–21 June | Talgarth, Wales 
Two days of workshops, art, music, food, and solstice celebration. 

Our planet is in crisis, our way of life is increasingly unsustainable and unequal. So we are asking, Beth Nawr? (Now What? in Welsh).  

Bringing together pioneers of systems change to lead hands-on workshops to explore how we can re-imagine and rebuild the systems that shape our lives – from food and farming, to education and healthcare, to energy, housing and our communities. 

About Beth Nawr?

Blending the playfulness of a festival, the rigour of a conference, the depth of a retreat, and the practical focus of a two-day course, Beth Nawr will unlock our collective capacity to build a future where both people and the planet thrive. 

We will bring together people that are demonstrating systems change across the UK and internationally to share their practices with you. Through two days of interactive sessions, explore how you too can leverage change in small and big ways to build a more just and ecological society. 

What to expect: 

• Practical workshops that deconstruct the systems we depend on, and weaves them back together in the context of our homes, communities and work. 

• Experiences that re-narrate our relationship with each other and the more-than-human world, helping us to become nature protectors. 

• A space for art, and collectively imagining positive futures together. 

Enlightening walks, good food, music, camping, and celebration as we gather for the summer solstice – the longest day of the year and a celebration of radical new beginnings. 

Why? And what is systems change?? 

BMC prepares people for life in a warming world. We teach the skills needed to rethink and rebuild the systems that shape our lives but no longer work — systems that are unfair, polluting, destructive, or unsuited to the realities of climate change. 

We all take part in these systems every day. When we buy food, we’re part of the food & farming system; when we visit the doctor, we rely on the healthcare system. The choices we make — how we access and engage with these systems — help shape them. By making different choices, we can begin to reshape them. Each of us holds that power. 

While it’s clear that many of these systems are ‘broken’, we often lack practical examples of how to disrupt them and build better alternatives. Black Mountains College is a gathering place for people that are making practical change happen: a community where skills are learned and shared, ideas are connected, and new projects take root.  

Call for Workshops

For this year’s programme we are seeking out people in our network – and beyond – who are pioneering bold new ideas, stories, and practices for thriving futures.  

We are also collaborating with partners to help shape parts of the programme.  

And we are opening the space for you to propose and lead a workshop. 

Are you part of a project or movement that you’d love to share?  

Do you have a practical method or approach that others could apply in their own community? 

Then we want to hear from you! 

If your workshop is selected, you’ll receive: 

• A modest materials budget 

• A travel bursary (up to £100) 

• Free entry to the other workshops at Beth Nawr

We’re looking for: 

• Projects, approaches, or methods related to: healthcare, education, food & farming, energy, housing & construction, community, or nature conservation. 

• Ideas that address root causes – not quick fixes – and imagine bold, radical alternatives to existing systems. 

• Hands-on, interactive sessions (no talks or readings!) framed as “How to…” experiences where participants learn something practical they can take home and apply. 

Workshops can be up to 1 hour 45 mins long, for a maximum of 30 participants.

We’re also open to other formats… maybe a conversational walk, an intervention, a performance, or something we haven’t imagined yet. Surprise us! 

Last year, we learned that the more specific the topic, the better the learning. Instead of telling us how we might change an entire system, show us how you are changing one cog. 

We’ll have space for about 15 workshops this year, so places are limited.

Deadline for workshop proposals: Midnight on Sunday 1st February 2026
Complete this form or send a video answering the questions in the form to magda@blackmountainscollege.uk 

Practicals 

Tickets – prices will be between £5 and £12 per workshop, with several free events. We are still fundraising to be bring costs down further and offer as many free places as possible. 

Timings – the Festival will kick-off around noon on Saturday and finish late afternoon Sunday. We would love you to join for the entire programme, but you will be able to ‘mix and match’ workshops to fit your availability and interest.  

Travel – The nearest train stations are Abergavenny and Hereford – there is a public bus from Hereford to Talgarth. For those arriving to Abergavenny, we will run a minibus pick up between the train station and Talgarth. 

Accommodation – Like last year we are hoping to collaborate with a nearby campsite to offer a beautiful place for you to spend the night. There are also various hotels and bunk houses in the vicinity.  

Tickets will be on sale from early February.  

Any questions email: magda@blackmountainscollege.uk