We have just confirmed the date for this years Secret Wildlife Festival. The festival is in its eight consecutive year and is run in conjunction with Sussex Wildlife Trust. To date, we have raised in excess of £18,000 for the Trust. This money helps to fund the Trust’s work to preserve and conserve the threatened fauna and flora of Sussex.
This year the festival will run over the weekend of 26-28th June. Sign up here to be notified of the date that tickets will go on sale.
What happens?
As ever, the festival will be hosted by the inimitable Michael Blencowe from Sussex Wildlife Trust. Michael will be accompanied by a team of expert volunteers who add immense colour to the weekends activities. You might have a questions on species identification or, where to locate your mammal trap for the best results. Fear not, someone will be on hand to help.
The weekend is filled with a wide range of wildlife focused events and talks. Our activities typically include, bat walks, butterfly hunts, moth trapping, mammal traps and trail camera footage. The footage we collect is used to create a film for the Secret Cinema on Sunday morning.
Our team of enthusiasts also lead forest walks, reptile searches, forest school activities, hedgehog tunnels and even a pitch black,glow worm adventure search.
These events take place throughout the day and are led by one of the experts from the Trust.
What else goes on
On Saturday evening, if the weather is kind to us, we light a communal barbeque. Our impromptu cooker is a great place to enjoy and share the highlights from the days activities. Everyone at the festival is welcome to cook whatever they have brought along with them, vegan or carivore. Perhaps even the odd marshmallow.
At other times over the weekend campers are welcome to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the campsite, whilst younger members of their party explore the site, looking for lizards and grasshoppers. Our camping pitches have their own firepit, where you can relax around a campfire, cook breakfast, or perhaps just enjoy a cold beer or a glass of elderflower presse, if you’ve bought some with you.
You can also enjoy hot and cold drinks from The Secret Teapot which is locted at reception.
Who’s it for
The Secret Wildlife Festival is aimed at wildlife enthusiasts and their families. I’m amazed every year how knowledgable the younger campers are on such a wide range of animals and plants. We also get some expert Mums and Dads attending who are keen to encounter some of our rarer native species.
A few years ago we saw a Purple Emperor. Well, to be fair it was Michael and some of the hawk eyed amongst us.
In other years we’ve had appearances from Adders, Bats, Great Crested Newts, Dragonflies, Glow worms, Cinnabar moths and Privet Hawk moths.
In 2016, we captured brilliant footage of the badgers residing near the site and last year we found evidence of Dormice living alongside the campsite.
Who knows what this year has in store?
The Secret Wildlife Festival is a great way to get closer to our amazing wildlife, but its also a chance to escape your busy lives and relax for a couple of days amongst like minded campers, enthusiasts and experts.
Camping is also a great way to connect with the people close to you, as the sun sets and the stars start to appear in the ink black sky.
Find out when tickets go on sale
Sign up here to join our Festival mailing list and be the first to hear when the tickets go on sale. Our festival tickets sell out incredibly fast and like Glastonbury, it’s all sold first come first served. So make sure you are at the front of the queue.
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