The natural world is the headliner at these joyous gatherings, while the support acts include live music, immersive art and fire ceremonies
Winner of the UK’s best micro-festival in 2025, Between the Trees returns to Candleston Woods in the spectacular Merthyr Mawr national nature reserve (between Cardiff and Swansea) this year. Designed to reconnect people to the natural world, the programme features science and nature activities, folk music and storytelling. Workshops in the Eco Hub include micrographia sessions – exploring the world of insects on the reserve – and nature crafts. The Seren area has plenty of new talks and walks on offer, including stories of Welsh witches and forage-and-taste outings. With camping spots next to a wild beach and huge dunes, the site itself will ignite plenty of awe.
27-30 August, weekend tickets £195 adults, £50 children, betweenthetrees.co.uk
On peaceful, rewilded fields between a 75-acre wood and a quiet country lane near Barcombe, the Secret Campsite is bursting with nature, from nightingales to slow worms. The best time to soak it up is during the Secret Wildlife festival, when Michael Blencowe, also known as the Sussex Naturalist, will deliver non-stop nature activities to about 90 campers. Alongside drop-in bushcraft activities, guided walks from dawn to dusk, and a big communal barbecue, hands-on activities include moth trapping, building hedgehog tunnels, and a glow-worm safari. Each evening, the Seven Sisters Astronomy Group will help campers explore the universe, and the event closes with a Secret Cinema screening of the campsite’s camera traps.
