A new free week-long festival will celebrate Southampton as a vibrant hub of nature, creativity, and community this May half term.
The Urban Wild Festival will showcase Southampton’s green and blue wild spaces and champion all voices to promote the identity and artistry that surrounds these places.
It is a programme of more than 30 events from 26 May to 1 June hosted by a variety of green and community groups and local organisations spread across Southampton venues.
The programme includes walks, talks, and group cycle rides, as well as urban gardening, bird watching, and workshops such as creative arts and sculpting, knitting mini hedgehogs, and making bee hotels.
The Festival is supported as part of the YouCAN (Youth for Climate and Nature) scheme through a Climate Action Fund grant from The National Lottery Community Fund.
The YouCAN scheme is made possible thanks to National Lottery players and is aimed at 11- to 25-year-olds to encourage more community-led action to tackle the nature and climate emergencies.
Find out more about the YouCAN scheme here: www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/YouCAN
Southampton National Park City Coordinator, Rae Turpin, said: ‘Urban Wild is a city-wide celebration of the deeply rooted connections between people and the wider aspects of Southampton. Born from recognition of the inspiring work already happening by grassroots groups, individuals, and local organisations to care for, connect with, and restore nature across the city, the festival is an opportunity to showcase these collective efforts and catalyse even more action to safeguard urban nature. With the energy of the YouCAN (Youth for Climate and Nature) scheme at its core, Urban Wild is about adopting an intergenerational, collective approach to climate and biodiversity action. The festival is an invitation to everyone to get to know the urban wilds on your doorstep, reimagine how we see our city, listen to its hidden stories, and to be part of a movement that turns grey into green, and concrete into community.’
Posted On: 06/05/2025
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