13 Apr 2026
Festival Fortnight, coordinated by LEAP Sports Scotland, takes place annually and is now in its 13th year. It aims to increase the visibility and participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people in Scottish sport. It provides opportunities to raise awareness of LGBTIQ+ and wider equality, inclusion, and human rights issues within the world of sport and physical activity. Last year’s festival welcomed over 2000 attendees to over 100 events across Scotland!
The festival will take place between 13th - 28th June and provides something for everyone, featuring a combination of sporting, cultural, academic, social, and recreational events. LEAP coordinates these events and supports organisers by offering advice and funding, as well as promotion through the Festival Fortnight website and social media. LEAP may also be able to allocate a volunteer or staff member to your event if you would like a help on the day. And they can support partners to run events that fundraise for LEAP, contributing to our wider charity aims.
Running an event for Festival Fortnight is beneficial in a number of ways. You might find the festival aids you in attracting more LGBTIQ+ members, helps you show solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ sporting community, increases your awareness of the issues at play, or facilitates celebration of LGBTIQ+ participation and identity. Reasons for participating are numerous and diverse. We want to ensure that both organisers and LEAP are able to realise their aims and they have produced this handbook (view here) to help do this.