British Council Ireland are thrilled to partner with Beta Festival, Ireland’s art and technology festival, for the fourth year in a row. As part of British Council Ireland's ongoing commitment to strengthening cultural and artistic connections between the UK and Ireland, British Council Ireland is partnering with BETA Festival to facilitate the participation of key UK-based leaders in arts and technology.
Through talks, workshops and networking opportunities, their involvement supports knowledge exchange, strengthens connections between UK and Irish practitioners, and creates opportunities for engagement with Irish policymakers, artists and festival audiences.
This year, we were delighted to support the participation of the following UK-based arts and technology leaders at BETA Festival:
- Marie McPartlin, Director, Somerset House Studios: Marie McPartlin is a Director and Artistic Programmer commissioning and developing cutting-edge cross-disciplinary projects across music, visual art, performance and new technologies. A recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Breakthrough Award for exceptional cultural entrepreneurship in 2009, she has twice served as a festival director, and under ACE’s Cultural Leadership Programme, was appointed Associate Programmer, Contemporary Music at the Barbican. She is the inaugural Director of Somerset House Studios, London, which she has shaped and led since 2015, and a Trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery. Marie will take part in the AI Art Assembly as a Conference Speaker. Marie McPartlin — Beta Festival.
- Ubeboobey/Annike Tan: Annike, widely known as @Ubeboobey, is a standout creator within the technology and entertainment space. Annike has built a highly engaged community and a reputation for making tech feel accessible and exciting. Her authentic perspective and creative storytelling has made her a distinctive voice in the create space. Annike will take part in the beta Festival and hold Cyberdeck workshops as part of Beta Festival 2026. Annike Tan — Beta Festival
The 2026 edition of BETA will take place 6-22 November 2026 across multiple venues in Dublin including The Digital Hub, NCAD Gallery, Pallas Studios, Project Arts Centre and IMMA. Find out more about the programme and events here.
