Bury Wildlife Festival takes place this coming weekend

The fifth annual celebration of the natural environment in Bury St Edmunds is taking place this weekend with its biggest event yet, when 160 children from three schools kick off the Bury Wildlife Festival 2026.

Held in the Abbey Gardens it beings tomorrow (Friday, May 15), with a day of exploration and learning.

The following day, Saturday, May 16, the festival opens to the public at 9.30am with stalls, guided walks, talks, bug safaris, and other wildlife-related activities including bug hotel building.

For the first time, the festival continues on Sunday and into the following week with an exhibition in the Cathedral Cloisters.

This interactive and multi-sensory exhibition, entitled “Revealing our Living Landscape” is a chance to experience the sights, sounds, scents and textures of the water meadows, and to enjoy artwork created by festival goers in response to what they have seen.

Libby Ranzetta, chairman of the festival steering group for Bury Water Meadows Group said: “We’re really excited to be running a bigger event this year, and there’s hopefully something for everyone to enjoy.

“The natural world can get taken for granted and yet it’s vital that we look after it.

“The festival this year is dedicated to Sir David Attenborough for his 100th birthday.

“He has been a major inspiration for everyone on the Festival team, and it would be fantastic if the event helped to foster the next generation of nature conservationists.”