The Isle of Wight Biosphere Festival is back for 2025.
The local nature and community festival returns from 28th June to 6th July this year, with 40 events already planned, and there are lots of ways that you can get involved.
Last year saw over 50 events taking place all over the Island on one weekend, with walks, talks, fashion, art, music, storytelling, films, nature tours, workshops and more.
Aiming to be even bigger and better
These were all run by local organisations and individuals, joining together to celebrate our incredible UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
We counted around 4,500 festival event visitors, but in 2025 are aiming for it to be even bigger and better. It will take place over nine days to allow even more time for Islanders to join in.
Key information:
- Save the date! Biosphere Festival takes place from 28th – 6th July, over 9 days.
- See the Festival website
- Sign up to our newsletter on the website to be the first to hear about the programme
- Over 40 events already planned across the Island.
- Still time to plan an event of any size, get in touch with us at hello@iwbiosphere.org.
- Deadline for programme submissions is the end of April
- Last year the Biosphere Festival had around 4500 attendees and 57 events in total. 91% of event organisers reported that the Festival was a positive experience for their organisation, 82% of attendees found their Festival experience to be “very enjoyable” and 76% said it made them feel more connected with the Island’s nature and wildlife.
Events on the programme so far
Biosphere Festival events this year will kick off on the first weekend with FOCAS Fest, Focus on Conservation and Science at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, involving all sorts of family activities for a low ticket price (on sale now via their website).
Other events are being planned by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, National Trust, local Libraries, the Quay Arts Centre, Wood Learn Forest School, Isle of Wight Quakers, Project Seagrass, Fishbourne Parish Council, Grow Gurnard Community growing project and more.
Also on the lineup
There will be two sessions on making Meadow Magic at Naturezones in Blackwater; film screenings at Ventnor Arts Club; story walks with National Landscape and Sue Bailey; a mass family cycle ride with CycleWight; a talk with author Roger Morgan-Grenville about his travels around the coast of Britain at Medina Bookshop; and a talk on Mindful Gardening in the Buddle Biosphere with Sylvia Clare,
Open days at Moorgreen Allotments; and our recent TV stars Permaculture Island, an “invitation to rehome ourselves in the natural world” with Creation Matters; a shared sketching session with local artists Lucia Para; a Freediving Safari and Marine Conservation talk with the Esprit Freedivers; a guided walk around Grammar’s Common with John Osborn; a Climate Fresk workshop at Gurnard Pines; hopefully a swift walk in Ryde and Godshill Matters will be back at Munsley Bog to celebrate this amazing habitat.
Biosphere creative writing competition
For budding writers, there is a Biosphere Festival Writing Competition organised by Naked Figleaf Press. You have until 30th April to write a short story or creative non-fiction piece on a Biosphere theme.
Winners will be featured in a special edition of the Figlet, with an award ceremony during the Festival. Contact biospherewriting@gmail.com for details and an entry form (£5 entry).
Still time to plan your own event, here’s how
The Biosphere Festival has room for even more events, ideas and projects. They can be small, catering to just a few people, or big, if you have capacity. They could be about history, wildlife, landscape, art, economics, science, gardening, or whatever you like that feels relevant to the biosphere.
The Biosphere Festival organisers can help support you in developing your idea. Just get in touch with them on hello@iwbiosphere.org to let them know what you are planning. Deadline for programme inclusion is the end of April, but it is possible to add event details to the website later.
Let’s make Biosphere Festival 2025 even bigger and better together. To find out more about how you can be involved, or to sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about the programme, visit the website.
Hugely grateful for all the community support
The Festival and IW Biosphere are hugely grateful for all the community support and love for our Island nature that allows this festival to happen.
Our Biosphere Reserve status is a prestigious UNESCO designation, like World Heritage status, that recognises our unique combination of people, wildlife and landscape.
It celebrates all our local efforts, individual and organisational, to live sustainably within our remarkable environment and to protect, conserve and enhance it for future generations.
News shared by Martha on behalf of Isle of Wight Biosphere Festival. Ed
