This coming weekend sees the very first Biosphere Festival take place on the Isle of Wight – celebrating the Island’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status.
There are more than 50 free or low cost events for adults and children to take part in, from talks, walks and workshops to community events and creative activities.
The festival has been produced by the Isle of Wight Biosphere in partnership with Creative Island, supported by The Common Space and Isle of Wight National Landscape.
Visit the Biosphere Hub
Quay Arts in Newport will be playing host as the Biosphere Hub over the weekend, and Wildheart Animal Sanctuary’s FOCAS Festival incorporates many other related events.
Check out the listings
OnTheWight’s events site is not working at the moment (☹️), so as our support for the Biosphere Festival we’ve added all the 50+ events individually as event features through OnTheWight.
The weekend is jammed full of informative, thought-provoking, exciting, interesting, and inspiring events.
If you haven’t planned your weekend yet, check out the list below
_Saturday 29th June
Central (Newport area)
- 10.00-17.00 Biosphere hub at Quay Arts Centre: workshops, talks and performances FREE
- 10.00-11.00 Nightlife in Daylight – identifying moths at Carisbrooke Priory FREE
- 10.00-15.00 Treating Plants Kindly with IOW Youth Trust FREE
- 10.00-16.00 Platform One Sustainable Fashion Concept Store: Exhibition, workshops and shops at P1 Wadhams FREE
- 10.00-16.30 Biosphere Creative Drop-in Day and Consultation – under 25s with Independent Arts and Artswork FREE
- 14.00-14.45 and 15.00-15.45 A Witness to Change: St Mary’s church tour with Richard Smout FREE
- 14.30-16.30 Make a biosphere in a jar (aged 5+) at Lord Louis Library, Newport FREE but booking required
- 19.30 Swift Walk in Newport with Wight Swifts and the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society FREE
North East Wight
- 8.30 Esprit Freedivers underwater safari at Seaview seagrass beds £40 booking required
- 10.00-12.00 Allotment Open Morning with Network Ryde FREE
- 10.00-13.00 Greener Futures: IW Mardi Gras family drop in workshop with New Carnival in Ryde FREE
- 10.00-14.00 Looking at Microplastics with Wightlink & the University of Portsmouth (on board St Clare) FREE for passengers
- 10.00-16.00 Marine Habitats with the University of Portsmouth and Wightlink at Western Gardens, Ryde FREE
- 10.00-16.00 Saturday sewing – drop in and make a tote bag at Ryde Library FREE
- 10.00-17.00 Sustainable Fashion by Holly Maslen, hosted at Jo Hummel’s Artist Studio in Bembridge FREE
- 11.00-13.00 Creating habitats for wildlife in Riboleau Community Garden FREE
- 11.00-13.00 Kidical Mass Bike Ride with Cycle Wight through Ryde FREE
South East Wight
- 9.30-17.00 FOCAS FEST – Focus on Conservation and Science Festival at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary £2.50 booking required
- 10.00-16.00 Brading Roman Villa Biosphere Nature Trail £2
- 10.30-11.30 Bee craft – create cute bees to take home (aged 4+) at Sandown Library FREE
- 11.00-15.00 Family Fun at Branstone Biosphere Day with National Landscapes and friends FREE but booking preferred
South Wight
- 9.00 Planet Aware beach clean at Watershoot Bay FREE but booking required
- 9.30-16.30 Nature-themed scavenger hunt at Ventnor Library FREE
- 10.30-13.00 Arty Walk: sketch colourful memories along Ventnor Coast Path with Lucia Para £12.50 booking required
- 12.00-15.30 Discover Munsley Bog community picnic with Godshill Matters FREE
- 17.00-18.30 Wilding: documentary film about the Knepp rewilding transformation at Ventnor Arts Club £9.12 booking required
- 19.30-21.00 Wilding: documentary film about the Knepp rewilding transformation at Ventnor Arts Club £9.12 booking required
West Wight
- Anytime Giant of Chale: Become an Island Biosphere History Detective with The Earth Museum FREE
- 10.00-11.30 Make a pop-up butterfly card at Freshwater Library FREE
- 10.00-12.00 National Trust: Newtown Wellbeing Walk at Newtown National Nature Reserve FREE
- 14.00-16.00 Earth Museum tours for Biosphere Festival FREE
North Wight (Cowes area)
- 10.00-12.00 Habitats Lego Challenge at Cowes Library FREE
- 13.00-16.00 Moorgreen Allotment open Day and Biodiversity Chat FREE
- 14.00-15.00 The Great Oaks of Northwood Park walk with Cowes Tree Warden FREE
- 14.00-16.00 ‘Create an IOW animal’ drawing craft activity (aged 5+) Cowes Library FREE
- 19.00-21.00 THE FIGLET Literary Magazine Launch Event at Medina Bookshop FREE
- 19.30-21.00 ‘Under the Tree’ an evening of stories celebrating trees at Northwood House £7 booking required
_Sunday 30th June
Central (Newport area)
- 10.00-17.00 Biosphere hub at Quay Arts Centre: workshops, talks and performances FREE
North East Wight
- 10.00-16.00 Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Rewilding Open Day at Wilder Little Duxmore FREE
- 10.00-14.00 Looking at Microplastics with Wightlink & the University of Portsmouth (on board St Clare) FREE for passengers
- 10.30-12.30 Blissing the Biosphere; Storytelling, ritual and creativity on Appley beach FREE
- 12.00-16.00 Monkton Arts 5th Birthday Street Fair and Biosphere Exhibition FREE
- 14.00-15.30 Forest School with Forever Wild@❤️ FREE but booking required
South East Wight
- 9.30-17.00 FOCAS FEST – Focus on Conservation and Science Festival at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary £2.50 booking required
- 15.00-17.00 Tales with Legs Storywalk in Newchurch with Sue Bailey FREE but booking required
South Wight
- 10.00-16.00 Open “Food Forest Garden” Day at Permaculture Island FREE
- 19.00-21.00 Wilding: documentary film about the Knepp rewilding transformation at Ventnor Arts Club with recorded Q&A £9.12 booking required
West Wight
- Anytime Giant of Chale: Become an Island Biosphere History Detective with The Earth Museum FREE
- 10.00-15.00 Creative Biosphere Market with I Love Wight at the Green Barn FREE
- 11.00-12.30 Mindful walk in nature: Brighstone Forest with Sylvia Clare FREE
- 14.00-16.00 Earth Museum tours for Biosphere Festival FREE
- 14.30-16.00 Solar farms and opportunities for biodiversity and agriculture with Wight Community Energy in Shalfleet FREE but booking requested
North Wight (Cowes area)
- 19.00 An evening of Tree Songs with Paul Armfield at Sounds+Grounds booking required SOLD OUT
To find out more about the programme, sign up to the mailing list to get the latest news, learn about volunteering or to contact the festival organisers with your event idea, visit the website.
Article edit
8am 25th Jun 2024 – Details of organisers and sponsors added, with links to the IW Biosphere website.
