Wales Nature Week returns with moth walks, festivals, and folklore

Nation.Cymru Staff

More than 80 events celebrating wildlife and the natural world will take place across Wales as Wales Nature Week returns this July.

Established in 2002, Wales Nature Week is an annual week of nature-themed events coordinated by Wales Biodiversity Partnership.

The 2026 Nature week will return from 4 – 12 July, with communities across Wales coming together to celebrate and explore nature.

This year’s theme, In Your Neighbourhood, celebrates the wildlife, green spaces and everyday nature that can be found across Wales, including city parks, schoolyards, coastlines, gardens and community spaces.

From wildlife walks and family festivals to creative workshops and conservation activities, events will take place across the country.

Highlights include Cardiff Nature Festival on 4 July in Bute Park, a free day of activities such as guided walks, crafts, up close encounters with nature, and a litter pick with Keep Canton Tidy.

Nature Day at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay will also take place on 4 July from 11-3 pm, offering a mix of stalls, workshops, and fun family activities including give-aways and artist led workshops.

As well as festivals, other events will focus on specific species and habitats, such as the Holyhead swift walk on 5 July, which will highlight the successful nest-box colony of swifts at the Marine Port with North Wales Wildlife Trust swift officer Ben Stammers.

The Marvellous Moths! event at Henllys Local Nature Reserve on 8 July will allow moth enthusiasts to learn about different types caught in the area the previous night with county moth recorder Kevin Hewitt.

At Pen y Pass Warden Centre there will be a full day of Nature Connection & Welsh Folk Tales on 9 July, including a walk from Pen y Pass to Glaslyn and back, with plenty of time for tales of King Arthur and Excalibur, the giant who’s buried on Yr Wyddfa, and the fairies who guided local miners.

As well as attending a local event, people across Wales are encouraged to get involved by exploring nature close to home, spending time noticing the wildlife and green spaces around them.

Community groups and organisations can also host events, whether it’s a wildlife walk or a nature talk at a local park, through the Biodiversity Wales website.

Wales Nature Week has also partnered with Children’s Laureate Wales, Nicola Davies, to bring schools a national creative competition for KS1 and KS2 pupils.

Pupils across Wales are encouraged to submit creative responses exploring how they notice and experience nature in their daily lives, from back gardens and school yards to the journey back home.

Classes will then shortlist their best three entries and submit to Nicola Davies, who will select the best of the best.

Prys Davies, Executive Director, Strategy, Policy and Evidence, Natural Resources Wales said: “Wales Nature Week is a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages to get involved and make a difference for nature.

“We’re encouraging everyone to take a closer look at the nature on their doorstep, and to take simple, practical steps to help it thrive.

“Whether that’s creating space for wildlife at home, getting involved in local projects, or supporting conservation work, every action counts and adds up to real change.

He added: We’re facing a nature and climate emergency, and the need to act has never been clearer. Healthy ecosystems underpin our food, our health and our economy – and they need our support to thrive.

“Wales Nature Week is a chance for all of us to play our part.”

Full event listings can be found on the Wales Nature Week website.