News & Events

COL Director of International, Meg Maclean would like to provide an update on the success of the Festival of Languages event that took place in May 2026:

I am delighted to share news of the success of the Centre for Open Learning’s (COL) Festival of Languages 2026, a vibrant student-staff partnership event that took place across Holyrood Campus on Monday 11 May.

The festival was created to celebrate the rich multilingualism at COL, showcase diverse cultures, and provide opportunities for students and staff to connect through language, creativity and shared experiences. 

Throughout the day, participants enjoyed a wonderful programme of activities, including language taster sessions in 11 languages, Chinese calligraphy, origami and collage workshops, cultural displays, a short film screening, and a special poetry reading featuring Scotland’s Makar, Peter Mackay, alongside Gaelic Lecturer, Rona Wilkie.

The event attracted 175 registrations and was made possible through the enthusiasm and expertise of colleagues and partners from Languages for All, the Confucius Institute, the Gaelic Books Council, the Una Europa Student Network, and our Resource Centre team. Special thanks go to Lee McCulley, Customer Experience and Event Coordinator, whose coordination and organisation was instrumental in bringing the festival to life.

While the volume of feedback received was relatively small, responses from both attendees and contributors were very positive. Participants highlighted the welcoming atmosphere, the variety of activities, and the opportunity to meet and learn from others. Encouragingly, all contributors who responded said they would be keen to take part in the festival again. 

Reviewing the event as a whole; the strong attendance, enthusiastic participation and positive feedback suggests that the Festival of Languages was a successful event. As a result, we are planning to run the festival again in 2027. We will explore opportunities for students to play an even greater role in shaping and delivering the programme, including leading language taster sessions, cultural activities, performances and exhibitions.

The Festival of Languages reflects so much of what makes our community special: curiosity, collaboration, creativity and a genuine appreciation of the many languages and cultures represented across the Centre for Open Learning. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the event such a success.

Pop along to the Resource Centre in Paterson's Land and join our events. These events are for our community of lifelong learners who take courses at COL.

No booking required for these events - simply come along and join us.

Please check back soon to view the September event schedule, when our team will be heading out and about.