“The positivity and hearing little stories of how we made a difference to women is what keeps us going”
Breastival, Northern Ireland’s award-winning festival celebrating breastfeeding, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, a free event will take place at Drumglass Park in South Belfast on Saturday, August 1 during World Breastfeeding Week.
The festival began in 2016 when Dr Jennifer Hanratty gathered 37 breastfeeding mothers, babies, fathers and supporters to the lawns of Belfast City Hall to take part in the Global Latch On.
In the months that followed, Hanratty developed the idea into Breastival alongside co-founder Jennie Wallace, creating a positive space for breastfeeding families to connect, learn and be supported.
In 2017, at the first official Breastival, organisers expected a few more people to take part, and were totally surprised, in the best way possible, when more than 500 people registered, maxing out the space that had been hired in the MAC.
This made it the largest gathering of breastfeeding women in Northern Ireland, growing every year since.
This year’s event runs from 12pm to 4pm and includes a Big Latch On at 12.30pm, alongside a mums market, a baby disco, circus performers, messy play, baby reflexology and a community tent hosting NHS specialists, voluntary support groups, local charities, and the milk bank.
Breastival founder Dr Jennifer Hanratty said: “Breastival started with my own experience of finding support, friendship and plenty of craic from other mothers when I became a parent.
“Their kindness inspired us to create something that would help other families feel equally welcomed and supported. Ten years on, Breastival is still powered by that same spirit of community. Its success belongs to the countless volunteers, supporters, healthcare professionals and advocates who help women every day to achieve their goals.
“We’ve persevered through challenges, pivoted to online festivities, hybrid events and now returning to the all-important real-life festival. Seeing families gathering together, feeling supported and more confident – it is just magic to be able to bring that to life every year. The positivity and hearing little stories of how we made a difference to women is what keeps us going.”
“Most women in Northern Ireland want to breastfeed and many more are now feeling supported and confident to continue breastfeeding for as long as they choose. Rates of breastfeeding at six and 12 months have more than doubled in the past ten years. We are so proud to have played a part in that positive change by making breastfeeding visible and celebrated as part of everyday life in Northern Ireland”
Breastival’s 10-year anniversary is being supported by TV presenter and mum-of-two Holly Hamilton.
She sadi: “Breastfeeding my two children is something that has always been really important to me. I know it’s a journey that not everyone can go on and it’s not always a choice, but for me it’s something I’ve really enjoyed.
“My best piece of advice is to find someone else who has been through it, because it can be lonely. The start of the journey is often just you at two or three o’clock in the morning, and those first few days are the hardest.
“That’s why the work being done by Breastival is so important. Looking around and knowing there are other women who feel the same way, who’ve gone through it or are currently going through it, makes such a difference. Having that support is invaluable.”
Breastival was created to help improve women’s experiences of breastfeeding by making breastfeeding visible, valued and supported as part of everyday family life.
Breastival has welcomed over 10,000 people to the festival over its first nine years, and organisers are aiming for their biggest turnout yet at this year’s tenth anniversary event.
Dr Jennifer Hanratty added: “While much has changed over the last decade, our vision remains the same: a society where every woman who wants to breastfeed feels supported, valued and confident in her choice, where communities champion breastfeeding and policies make it easier for families to achieve their goals.”
Free tickets to the event are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/breastival-2026-tickets-1989689944184
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