The Festival of Nature kicks off in Bristol this weekend (June 11 & 12) as more than 100 organisations, including the BBC Natural History Unit and Bristol Zoo Gardens, fill the Harbourside with events and activities for wildlife-lovers of all ages.
Thinking of going to the festival? Here are our top picks for the key things to see and do this year:
* Try your hand at being a wildlife presenter in the BBC Natural History Unit marquee and meet TV wildlife heroes including The One Show’s Mike Dilger, Springwatch’s Lindsey Chapman and Naomi Wilkinson from Naomi’s Nightmares of Nature
* Head to At-Bristol’s Planetarium to watch live screenings and talks by award-winning producers of two landmark David Attenborough documentaries
* Enjoy a great line-up of musicians, speakers, performers and the Really Reptile Roadshow on the Woodlands Stage.
* Follow a chalk river from source to sea as it flows through the different Festival zones, from pop-up woodlands in the Woodland area down to the Marine zone in Lloyd’s Amphitheatre. From 12 noon you can get creative and add your own designs to the river as part of the M&S Spark Something Good campaign.
* Watch Brave Bold Drama’s Festival procession bring the River Avon to life in a spectacle of colour and sound at 4pm on Sunday, winding its way from the Woodlands area to set sail for Bath from the Amphitheatre
* Check out the amazing choice of local independent food and craft retailers in the festival Marketplace
* Head to the Amphitheatre to relax in the beautiful wetlands-themed Festival Garden which has been landscaped by Earth Timber Stone, or have a play in the Marine Zone sandpit
* Visit the UWE and Bristol University marquees to explore cutting-edge research in the fields of nature and the environment.
* Grab a deck-chair in front of the At-Bristol big screen to see live interviews with TV celebrities, clips from amazing nature films and some of Bristol and Bath’s best poets reading poems from our new Riverside poetry trail.
* Discover amazing activities and displays from all our exhibitors – learn about Bristol’s predators with Bristol Museum, find out how to help the environment by cutting down on plastic use with City to Sea and Bristol Zoo Gardens, learn about investing in community renewable energy projects with Bath & West Community Energy and much, much more!
* Learn about all the ways you can take action for nature in your neighbourhood, from observing and recording wildlife to creating bug hotels and wildflower meadows – then tell us what you’ve been doing to support the natural world!
For Festival timings and further details go to the Bristol Festival of Nature page.
