York Festival of Ideas: 'Natural World' events
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York Festival of Ideas 2025
York Festival of Ideas 2025 is now live, featuring an exciting and diverse programme running from 31 May to 13 June. This year explores 'Making Waves' with over 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire.
'Natural World' themed events
In particular, explore one of this year’s key themes, 'Natural World', featuring a range of inspiring events focused on nature and the environment. Take part in some balsam bashing on a guided nature walk, discover the alien microbes living in the Earth’s crust and hear from BBC Countryfile presenter Tom Heaps.
Natural World events calendar:
Ultimate Breath (30 May, 6.30pm, in-person): Explore the impact of air pollution on our health through talks and a special meditative musical performance by Sonic Threads.
Step into Nature with St Nicks (31 May, 10am, in-person): York Cares is supporting St Nicks' work at Fulford Ings to remove balsam with some balsam bashing. Join us on a gentle 2km walk and find out more.
Fragments (31 May, 12pm, in-person): Join us for the launch of a thought-provoking exhibition by an eclectic group of artists exploring the theme of 'fragments' in varied media.
Make Space York: Are parks inclusive? (31 May, 1pm, in-person): How can the design of parks be more welcoming for women and girls? Find out more and share your ideas at an interactive Make Space York pop-up exhibition.
Step into Nature with St Nicks (31 May, 1pm, in-person): York Cares is supporting St Nicks' work at Fulford Ings to remove balsam with some balsam bashing. Join us on a gentle 2km walk and find out more.
The Path to Net Zero (1 June, 1.15pm, in-person): Join David Trousdale, Principal Advisor for Climate Change and Net Zero at Newcastle City Council and hear how he and his team are successfully driving change in the city.
Landsmart: A practical guide to transforming our countryside (1 June, 5.30pm, in-person): How can we use land cleverly to give both humanity and nature the space to thrive on just the one planet? Join BBC Countryside presenter Tom Heap to find out.
My Heart was a Tree: The concert (2 June, 6pm, in-person): Enjoy a mesmerising programme of poetry and music inspired by our beautiful countryside presented by renowned children's author Michael Morpurgo.
The Future of Higher Education in a Climate Crisis (2 June, 8pm, online only): How can those in higher education work together to address the challenges of a global climate crisis? Our expert panel discusses some unique new approaches.
King Tyrant: A natural history of Tyrannosaurus rex (3 June, 6pm, online only): Join palaeontologist and artist Mark P Witton for a stunningly illustrated talk on what we now know about the fearsome and extraordinary king of the dinosaurs.
York's Changing Waterscapes (4 June, 10am, in-person): How can people's enjoyment of the waterscapes of York be enhanced? How can flooding and other aquatic issues be better understood and communicated? Talk to the team from the York Waterscapes Project.
ABC: Art, biodiversity and collaboration (4 June, 6.30pm, in-person): Join the conversation as artists and scientists discuss the importance of collaboration across disciplines for biodiversity change.
Doctors by Nature: How animals heal themselves (5 June, 8pm, online only): Join biologist Jaap de Roode of Emory University, US, to hear the astonishing story of how animals from ants to apes use medicine and what it can teach us about healing ourselves.
York's Hidden History of Flooding (6 June, 11am, in-person): Discover the fascinating history of how flooding will teach you the science behind climate change and empower you to take action.
Climate Fresk workshop (6 June, 12.30pm, in-person): Do you want to help tackle climate change? Our Climate Fresk workshop will teach you the science behind climate change and empower you to take action.
Intraterrestrials: Discovering the strangest life on Earth (6 June, 6pm, online only): Learn what alien microbes living in the deepest, darkest recesses of Earth's crust can reveal about the dawn and future of our planet with biologist Karen Lloyd.
A Queen's Book of Flowers (7 June, 10.30am & 12.30pm, in-person): Visit a letterpress display reimagining women's knowledge about plants. Join in a botanical printing activity and discover a book of flowers written for a queen.
A Green Future: Community action and inclusion (7 June, 2pm, in-person): Explore real-world stories of community-led projects that are making a difference by combining environmental action with social equity. Join Daily Celebi Gonidis of CITY College, University of York Europe campus.
York: Present and future flooding (8 June, 11am, in-person): Find out how and why York floods, explore different kinds of flood defence schemes in operation and discuss what the future may bring on a York's Hidden History guided tour.
When Smartphones and Nature Meet (8 June, 2pm, in-person): Bring along your smartphone for an interactive nature tour as your guides demonstrate how to get involved in citizen science.
A Greener York as the White Rose Forest Grows? (10 June, 12.30pm, in-person): Discover how trees contribute to our sense of place within urban communities and explore how a space-based approach could colour a green-print for York as a White Rose Forest city.
Protecting our Blue Planet (11 June, 12pm, online only): Warming seas, plastic pollution, overfishing. Join our panel of experts from France and the UK as they discuss the challenges our oceans face and how we can preserve them.