![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_LC_220425nature_01.jpg\")
Credit : Anna Barclay<\/p>\nThere will also be giant puppets, secret trails and a river-themed rave for toddlersCredit : Anna Barclay<\/p>\n
A pop-up wetland will be built in the middle of Bristol\u2019s Millennium Square this June as the UK\u2019s largest free nature festival returns with a bold new focus on water.<\/p>\n
The Festival of Nature, now in its 22nd year, runs from Saturday, June 7 to Sunday, June 15 and will feature over 80 mostly free events across Bristol and Bath<\/a>.<\/p>\n Organisers hope the theme will highlight the importance of water in supporting ecosystems and biodiversity, while also celebrating restoration efforts in local rivers.<\/p>\n The centrepiece of this year\u2019s programme will be a UK first\u2014an 8×8 metre living wetland exhibit constructed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Bristol\u2019s Harbourside. Visitors will be able to step inside the recreated ecosystem, see sculptures of kingfishers and warblers hidden among the reeds, and learn about the role wetlands play in flood prevention, water purification and wildlife conservation.<\/p>\n Savita Willmott, chief executive of the Natural History Consortium, which produces the festival, said: \u201cWe\u2019re so excited to finally reveal this year\u2019s Festival of Nature programme. The incredible pop-up wetland being built in Millennium Square is just one of the many ways we\u2019re helping people connect with nature in unexpected places.\u201d<\/p>\n Savita added: \u201cWe decided to focus on the theme of water this year, both in response to concerning recent news, such as the health of the UK\u2019s rivers, and in celebration of the local river restoration projects and new Bath Riverline. Water is so often overlooked, so this year\u2019s programme gives festival goers the opportunity to discover the importance of water spaces and water journeys in supporting nature, biodiversity and the natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n