The 2022 Urban Tree Festival
14th-22nd May : The full Programme at a glance
Our Daily programme
This year, the Urban Tree Festival events are both online and in person! We've made as many events as possible low- or no-cost. We are relying on donations to fund the festival, so if you think you could contribute, please hit the Donate button!
The Programme is packed with exciting events, so sign up to our newsletter for regular highlights in the lead up to the festival.
Booking closes an hour before event start times.
Saturday 14th May
10:00 Billy and the Lost Trees with the Drama Geezers - Join the Drama Geezers at St Margaret's House as they create a brand new story through creative play. For children 4-10 years old, supported by The Mayor of London. In-person, Book here
10:00 Tree-trail at the Natural History Museum -Join folklore character Anansi to discover the names and stories of the trees in our Wildlife Garden. Open from 10am-6pm. In-person, Book free entry to museum here
10:00 Ancient hedgerows and boundary trees - Discovering remnants of farm and boundary hedges in North West London with Peter Coles & CPRE London. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT Book here
10:00 An introduction to Brighton and Hove’s Elm Trees - A walk in Brighton, discovering the Elm Trees with expert Peter Bourne. In-person, Book here.
10:00 The Poetry of Trees: A Walking and Writing Workshop with poet and editor Rachel Piercey on St Mary University’s campus. Full day in-person Book here
11:00 The Friends of Wandsworth Park present May Tree Festival Remixed! - This event has been created as a revival of traditional May Day tree festival activities for all park users. In-person. Book here
13:00 Go Wild about Hampstead Heath - Look out for our Wildlife Bike by the Parliament Hill Bandstand and join our Wildlife Interpreters to find out about trees in spring. In-person, Drop-in event. More information
Sunday 15th May
10:00 Hampstead Heath Young Birders Walk- A chance for under 25s to discover the birds of London, supported by the Mayor of London. In-person. Are you under 25 years old? Book here
10:00 Tree-trail at the Natural History Museum -Join folklore character Anansi to discover the names and stories of the trees in our Wildlife Garden. Open from 10am-6pm. In-person, Book free entry to museum here
10:30 The Relational Forest - An art-inspired ecology walk with the Woods of Stanmore Country Park with Becky Lyon and David Rice. In-person, FULLY BOOKED
12:00 A woodland adventure for children from refugee backgrounds - organised by Fences & Frontiers, Epping Forest Heritage Trust and CPRE London. Invitation - only event.
13:00 / 14:00 / 15:00 / 4PM Mulberry Tree Rhyme Time A family event for early years (0-5) at Hogarth House. In-person, Book here
17:00 Writing Wild Pavements - Join nature writer Amanda Tuke for a fun and relaxed online nature-writing workshop focusing on the smaller plants and animals which benefit from the presence of street trees. Online, Book here
Monday 16th May
10:30 Belfast One Million Trees and Belfast I-Tree ECO report update - An update on the latest developments with the Belfast tree planting initiative with input from partners, with Belfast City Council, Treeconomics and Forest Research. Online, Book here
12:00 Trees and Hounslow Council’s Response to Climate Change – Join representatives from the London Borough of Hounslow and Greentalk to discover what’s happening with trees in west London. Online, Book here
13:00 Inner & Middle Temple Tree Walk - A free walk in this small private garden in Central London. In-person, FULLY BOOKED, Book here
13:00 Tree Rings Webinar (1)- Urban Trees, wellbeing on your doorstep. Session led by Students for Trees. Online, Book here.
18:00 The Tree Experts - A presentation on the History of Professional Arboriculture with Dr Mark Johnston. Online, Book here
Tuesday 17th May
13:00 Tree Rings Webinars (2) - “Ancient trees in the urban landscape”, with Tom Reed from The Woodland Trust. Curated by the Woodland Trust. Online, Book here
14:00 Mapathon : help map urban tree cover across the UK - Take part in a citizen science project to map the UK’s urban tree cover, with The Woodland Trust and Forest Research. Online, Book here
15:00 Wembley Park Walkabout - A tour of the public realm at Wembley Park with an insight into the tree planting programme over the past 17 years. In-person, Book here
17:00 The London Tree and Woodland Awards - celebrating the work of individuals, communities and professionals to protect, improve and expand the capital’s urban forest, organised by the Forestry Commission. Invitation-only event held in Kew Gardens. Learn More
18:00 Drawing Trees: An Experimental Approach - An experimental drawing workshop led by Ruth Broadbent. Online, Book here
18:30 Epping Forest Talks: does Epping Forest need saving again? - a presentation by Mark Gorman and Patricia Moxey, hosted by Epping Forest Heritage Trust in collaboration with CPRE London. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT, Book here
Wednesday 18th May
10:00 Words with Roots: Odes, letters and blessings to an Urban tree - A writing workshop for those who identify as women. In-person or online, Book here
12:00 Old mulberries in Camberwell - a walk with Peter Coles, discovering Camberwell’s history through its old mulberry trees, hosted by CPRE London. In-person, FULLY BOOKED, Book here
12:30 / 13:30 / 14:30 Mulberry Garden Tours at Hogarth House - Tour Hogarth’s Mulberry Garden with the Gardener, Joanne. In-person, FULLY BOOKED
13:00 Tree Rings Webinars (3)- Tree equity scoring in urban areas in the US. Online, Book here.
18:00 Book Club with Bob Gilbert- Based on his book 'Ghost Trees', Bob Gilbert leads a walk exploring street trees of the East End. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT, Book here
Thursday 19th May
10:00 Ancient Trees of Hampstead Heath - A guided walk will be led by Tree Management Officer David Humphries. In-person, FULLY BOOKED, Book here
11:00 Belfast Hills Partnership Tree Nursery Open Day - For those interested in growing trees from seed, come visit us! In-person, Drop-in event. More information
13:00 Tree Rings Webinars (4) - Campaigning - Urban Trees and Planning 101. Online, Book here
14:00 Writing Wood Words Workshop with El Rhodes. Come and write about the things that inspire you in nature - whether it’s trees, the urban or rural landscape, or your relationship to either. Online, Book here
17:00 Book Club with Davina Quinlivan - Based on her book ‘Shalimar’, Davina leads a walk a walk exploring the streets, trees and some rare green spaces in central London. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT Book here.
18:00 What Future for London’s Countryside? CPRE London AGM 2022 - Join CPRE London for a panel discussion with a keynote presentation by landscape architect Kim Wilkie and responses by Paul Wood & others. In-person, Book here
19:00 Tree Walk in Alexandra Park - An evening stroll led by Stephen Middleton of the Friends of Alexandra Park looking at some of the more impressive and unusual trees of the Park. In-person, Book here
Friday 20th May
10:00 The politics of Sheffield’s commemorative WW1 street trees - an online talk with Camilla Allen, landscape architect and environmental historian. Online, Book here
10:30 Hyde Park Tree Walk - a walk organised by the Royal Parks. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT, Book here
10:30 London Tree and Woodland Awards tour of winning woodland - Lesnes Abbey - Join one of the winners for a tour of an award winning woodland. In-person, Book here
11:00 Walking and mapping our trees - Join others in a shared experience of local landscape through synchronised walking, engaging with our trees and mapping our encounters. Online, Book here
11:40 Kew and its Commonwealth Trees - As part of the Urban Tree Festival, Kew Gardens is offering a tour of Trees of the Commonwealth for a community group, The Pepper Pot. In-person, Invite only, More information
12:30 / 13:30 / 14:30 Mulberry Garden Tours at Hogarth House - Tour Hogarth’s Mulberry Garden with the Gardener, Joanne. In-person, Book here
13:00 Tree Rings Webinars (5)- “Managing Ash dieback on the Woodland Trust Urban estate” with Colin Riley and Hannah Patterson. Curated by the Woodland Trust. Online, Book here.
14:00 Brompton Cemetery Tree Walk - a walk organised by the Royal Parks in this West London Cemetery. In-person, Book here.
14:00 "On Missing Trees" - Under the Plane Tree, a Live Gathering in Utrecht, Netherlands with Ienke Kastelein, an interdisciplinary artist. In-person, Book here
18:00 Particular Urban Trees - Introducing 20 Remarkable Urban Trees From Across Britain with Paul Wood. Online, Book here
Saturday 21st May
10:00 London Tree and Woodland Awards tour of winning woodland - Enfield Chase - Join one of the winners for a tour of an award winning woodland. In-person, Book here
10:00 An introduction to Brighton and Hove’s Elm Trees - A walk in Brighton, discovering the Elm Trees with Alister Peters. In-person, Book here.
11:00 The Science & Folklore of British Trees - An enlivening, educative hour walk in Dulwich Upper Wood with Ciara Roberts and the wood warden, Michael Williams. In-person, FULLY BOOKED
11:00 Sanctuary beneath the boughs - A guided walk for refugees and asylum seekers in Epping Forest - organised by Fences & Frontiers, Epping Forest Heritage Trust and CPRE London. Invitation - only event.
12:00 City Girl in Nature - Tree and Nature walk at Sydenham Wood. In-person. LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT Book here
12:00 & 13:00 Ruskin Tree Walk Film Premiere - A Panel introduction of the project followed by a film screening. In-person, Book here.
12:00 Beddington Park - Children's Leaf Hunt Challenge! Fun activity for children organised by the Sutton Tree Wardens. Drop-in event, no booking required.
13:00 ‘Tree Song’ Live Performances - Live acapella performances by Phoebe Coco & family vocal group underneath London trees. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT, Book here
14:00 Urban Tree Festival Northampton - #UTFNorthampton organised by Save Our Street Trees. An afternoon of tree-themed fun for families and children at the urban country house and park Delapré Abbey. In-person, Book here.
14:00 Which Trees Are Good for Bees - Pollinators, Street Trees, and Biodiversity in the Urban Arboretum, a tour led by Russel Miller in Stoke Newington. LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT, In-person, Book here
14:00 Build a timber box for an Apple tree - Join the Conservation Volunteers in Belfast for an afternoon of building and planting. In-person, Book here
14:00 Beddington Park tree walk - Sutton Tree Wardens will lead a guided walk around this historical and beautiful park, looking at a range of specimen and native trees along the way. In-person, FULLY BOOKED
Sunday 22nd May
9:00 Meet & Tweet - Join the Botanical Shakespeare team, @TiCLme, & others from the Urban Tree Festival at Hello Love to get a jump on Shakespeare Sunday. In-person, Book here
13:00 Nut Milk Workshop - As part of Botanical Shakespeare’s nature immersion at Hello Love shop in Bloomsbury, we are showing you how to make Plant Based milks. In-person, Book here
13:00 Creative Collage at Hogarth House - A drop-in creative workshop for all ages. Drop-in event (no booking necessary).
13:30 Seedlings, Zocher and the Soft City - A sensory walk in the city of Utrecht with Ienke Kastelein and Hans van Lunteren. In-person, Book here
14.30 The Legacy of Ada Salter in Bermondsey - A Guided Tree Walk in SE16 with Paul Wood. Part of the Salter Centenary Celebrations. In-person, FULLY BOOKED Book here
14:30 Abney Park’s Oldest Trees - Abney expert Russell Miller will be leading a tour of Abney’s oldest and rarest trees. In-person, LAST FEW TICKETS LEFT, Book here
17:00 Write about Trees showcase - Readings from authors participating in the Writing competition, Canopy. Online, Book here
Week - Long Activities to Explore
In Plane Sight - An audio experience exploring one of London’s most invisible icons - the London Plane Tree, created by Sam Furness. Accessible online during the festival. Learn More
‘Shakespeare in the Wild’ at Hello Love shop in Bloomsbury - an immersive indoor nature experience produced by author Gerit Quealy. Visit from May 16 to May 22 at Hello Love, 62 Southampton Row. Learn More
Tree Song Trail - Created by singer Phoebe Coco, walk along a mapped route and use your phone with headphones to scan QR codes and hear the ‘Tree Songs’ at different locations. Accessible online from May 20. Learn more
Nine Elms and Beyond - Explore Wandsworth’s ‘known’ elms on a map of Elms in the neighbourhood. We know there are more elms out there to find. Can you help us find them? Activity accessible during the festival. Learn More
