Wealden Festival

Launched in 2015 as an antidote to our often screen-dominated, fast-paced lives, Wealden Festival offers up a chance to pause and unearth both the wonder of the natural world and our own creative potential. It has since flourished into a unique cultural event that every summer attracts acclaimed authors, poets, artists and makers each of whom, in their own particular way, has taken inspiration from the environment, from wilderness and the spirit of place.

Through an extraordinary array of talks, debates, creative workshops and hands-on outdoor events, the festival is both a beacon of hope and an opportunity for quiet, perhaps even urgent, reflection where you will discover food for thought and for the soul. It is curated with all ages in mind, featuring an extensive programme for children designed to encourage children (and their carers) to spend time outdoors engaging creatively with their surroundings.

This year’s festival will feature some of our foremost writers and thinkers, with speakers ranging from household names (Michael Morpurgo, Will Gompertz, A.C. Grayling) and award-winning nature writers (Dara McAnulty, Keggie Carew, Charles Foster, Mark Cocker) to bestselling historians and scientists (Tom Holland, Adam Rutherford).

Themes that the festival will cover include motherhood (Lucy Jones), nutrition and mental health (Kimberley Wilson), our obsession with the seaside (Madeleine Bunting), climate change (Katie Holten, Gaia Vince) and farming (Sarah Langford, Philip Lymbery).

The festival’s acclaimed children’s programme – designed to nurture the next generation’s love of nature and the outdoors – will feature children’s authors and illustrators, including Pari Thomson, Petr Horacek and Kent-based writers, Rebecca Smith and Lucy Strange. It will also offer a fabulous array of bushcraft and nature-inspired activities as well as arts and crafts sessions.

A series of expert-led workshops focusing on issues relating to sustainability and the environment will include tips on how to garden in a nature-friendly way, how to grow and prepare your own food, how to mend and recycle well-loved items of clothing and even how to start your very own small-holding.

Wealden Festival is proud to feature many of the south-east’s most original craftspeople and delicious food and drink, including Zak’s Kombucha, Coldblow Coffee, Simply Ice Cream, Nightingale Cider, Green Farm Kent, Woodchurch Wine Estate & Wasted Kitchen!

Choose from the wide range of talks and workshops, sample the delicious local food and drink on offer, or simply take in the beautiful countryside surroundings and enjoy the gardens and ancient woodland.

Find out more and book your tickets at https://wealdenliteraryfestiva....