Top 10 UK Nature Festivals to Enjoy in Late Spring and Summer
The Top 10 UK nature festivals celebrate the natural world with a variety of activities including live music, immersive art, fire ceremonies, and hands-on workshops. These events offer opportunities to connect with nature through guided walks, wildlife observation, and educational sessions across diverse landscapes from woodlands and beaches to rewilded fields and national nature reserves.
Between the Trees Festival – Merthyr Mawr National Nature Reserve
Winner of the UK’s best micro-festival in 2025, Between the Trees returns to Candleston Woods in the Merthyr Mawr national nature reserve, located between Cardiff and Swansea. This festival is designed to reconnect people with the natural world through a programme featuring science and nature activities, folk music, and storytelling.
- Workshops in the Eco Hub include micrographia sessions exploring insects and nature crafts.
- The Seren area offers new talks and walks, including stories of Welsh witches and forage-and-taste outings.
- Camping is available next to a wild beach and large dunes, enhancing the natural experience.
Date: Late August
Tickets: Weekend tickets cost £195 for adults and £50 for children
Website: betweenthetrees.co.uk
Secret Wildlife Festival – Secret Campsite, Barcombe
Set in peaceful, rewilded fields near Barcombe, the Secret Campsite hosts the Secret Wildlife festival, which immerses about 90 campers in nature activities led by naturalist Michael Blencowe. The site is rich in wildlife, including nightingales and slow worms.
- Activities include moth trapping, building hedgehog tunnels, and a glow-worm safari.
- Guided walks run from dawn to dusk, alongside drop-in bushcraft sessions and a communal barbecue.
- Evenings feature astronomy sessions with the Seven Sisters Astronomy Group and a Secret Cinema screening of camera trap footage.
Date: Late June
Tickets: Weekend tickets including camping and activities from £112 for adults and £56 for children
Website: thesecretcampsite.co.uk
Isle of Wight Biosphere Festival
This festival spans the Isle of Wight, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, showcasing its diverse species and landscapes such as beaches, wetlands, chalk downland, and woodland.
- Events include a freediving safari in seagrass meadows led by marine photographer Theo Vickers.
- Open days at Permaculture Island and a UV night walk exploring forest biofluorescence in Firestone Copse.
- Discounted ferries are offered by Red Funnel to encourage attendance.
Date: Late June to early July
Events: Mix of free and paid events
Website: iwbiosphere.org
North Pennines NatureFest
Coinciding with European Geoparks Week, North Pennines NatureFest offers a range of interactive events across the North Pennines national landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.
- An adder exhibition at Bowlees visitor centre highlights native species conservation.
- Ecological experts lead a bioblitz wildlife recording event at Housty Farm.
- Family nature camps include bat detecting and birdsong walks at Low Way Farm in Teesdale.
Date: Late May to early June
Tickets: Events priced individually; nature camp from £30 adults, £20 children
Website: northpennines.org.uk
Nuts About Nature – Kelling Heath Holiday Park
Located near Holt, Kelling Heath holiday park features woodland and rare open heathland. The festival coincides with the unveiling of a new red squirrel enclosure.
- Guests become “acorn adventurers” participating in pond-dipping, nature crafts, and self-guided trails.
- The countryside team provides information on red squirrel conservation and the enclosure.
Date: Early June
Tickets: Tent pitches from £39.50 per night with a 3-for-2 nights offer using code NUTSABOUTNATURE26
Website: kellingheath.co.uk
Urban Wild 2026 – Southampton
Run by the Southampton National Park City initiative, Urban Wild 2026 explores the theme “Reimagining Southampton” through communal events that connect people with the city’s green and blue spaces.
- Festival opens with Urban Wild on the Common featuring stalls, music, and family activities.
- Additional activities include group bike rides, creative workshops, and wildlife identification sessions organized by community groups.
Date: Late May
Tickets: Free
Website: southamptonnpc.com
Orkney Nature Festival
This weeklong festival immerses visitors in Orkney’s wildlife, including puffins and Risso’s dolphins, across the islands of Hoy and Birsay.
- Guided walks visit seabird colonies on cliffs.
- RSPB wardens provide close observation opportunities during guide-in-a-hide sessions.
- Other activities include snorkel safaris, archaeological explorations at Skara Brae, and nature-inspired pottery workshops.
Date: Mid-May
Tickets: Events priced individually
Website: orkneynaturefestival.co.uk
Nature the Artist Festival – Trematon Castle Estate
This festival recognizes nature as a recording artist and supports conservation through royalties. It takes place over the solstice weekend overlooking the Tamar estuary.
- Live music, immersive art installations, talks, and fire ceremonies feature artists such as Boss Morris, Alexis Taylor, and Deb Grant.
- Nature immersion includes botanical guided walks, foraging sessions, and workshops on ecology and seasonal change.
- All profits support EarthPercent’s nature restoration efforts.
Date: Mid to late June
Tickets: From £260 for a weekend ticket, adults only
Website: gardenoftomorrow.org.uk
Goren Festival – Goren Farm near Honiton
Goren Festival is a family-friendly weekend celebration of music and nature set in wildflower meadows and orchards.
- Pop-up stages provide live music throughout the weekend.
- Creative arts workshops, open mic sessions, and fireside gatherings encourage participation.
- The nature zone offers trails, bat walks, wildlife stands, and a forest school for children.
Date: Early July
Tickets: Weekend tickets from £44 adults, £29 children; camping pitch £18
Website: gorenfestival.co.uk
Festival of Nature – Bristol and Bath
Organised by the Bristol Natural History Consortium, the Festival of Nature is the UK’s largest free nature festival, aiming to inspire public action for nature and climate.
- Hundreds of free events include guided wildlife walks, river and shoreline surveys, citizen science projects, and conservation activities.
- Highlights include insect identification walks, family tree trails, river dipping, poetry workshops, dementia-friendly allotment sessions, and a bioblitz species count.
Date: Early to mid June
Tickets: Free
Website: bnhc.org.uk