Belfast is set to have its first-ever Dyke March, taking place on Friday, July 24. Attendees are told to congregate at Writer’s Square at 6:45pm, before walking to the endpoint at City Hall.
The route is wheelchair accessible, and disabled dykes and friends are encouraged to gather at the front of the march to set the pace. There will also be limited public benches for sitting at City Hall, while the concluding speeches take place, with BSL and ISL interpretation.
Organisers have shared several chants that will be used on the day, including: “Say it loud, say it clear: All dykes are welcome here”; “Free, free, Palestine”; “P! S! N! I! Get your ass out of Pride”; “Our body, our choice”; “When dyke rights are under attack, stand up fight back”; “What do we want? Trans healthcare! When do we want it? Now!”; and “Stop the violence, no more silence. Stand up, fight back”. There have also been several banner-making workshops in anticipation of the event, meaning participants can display other slogans should they wish.
The Belfast Dyke March has received support from several organisations, including paperxclips, Reclaim the Agenda, QPoC Belfast, Rainbow Refugees NI, ROSA Socialist Feminist Movement, British Trans Resource Centre and more. Speaking about the solidarity shown, the team said, “We are stronger united than divided… Be loud. Be angry. Bring your mates, neighbourhood dykes, lovers and allies and we’ll see you there!”
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The establishment of Belfast’s first Dyke March comes after Dublin saw the return of its own Dyke March in 2025, followed up by another successful protest in 2026. Before then, such a march had not taken place on the island in over 25 years.
This year’s Dublin Dyke March took place on June 26, under the theme ‘Resist and Persist’. Over a thousand people took to the streets with several demands, including an end to war and genocide, a fit-for-purpose trans healthcare system, parental rights for same-sex couples and a push-back against the rise of the far-right.
Attendees marched under the sun from the Garden of Remembrance to Barnardo Square, where there was a set of speeches before the protest concluded.
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