York Environment Festival programme is live!

We’ve now released the full programme for York Environment Festival (YEFest) 2025, which features over 60 events across the city. 

This year’s programme includes a wide range of activities organised by local groups. There are talks and film screenings on a variety of environmental topics, as well as opportunities to develop practical skills such as gardening and foraging. Festival-goers can explore York’s local environment on various walks, or enjoy nature-inspired poetry and music.

YEFest is a chance to showcase the brilliant work being done by local environmental groups, campaigners, businesses, universities, schools, arts organisations – and more! All events in the festival are open and free to attend, offering York residents a chance to get involved and find out more about how they can champion their local environment.

The theme of this year’s festival is ‘hope through action’. In the words of writer and activist Rebecca Solnit, “hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope”.

At a time of global turbulence, we’re asking: what does it mean to cultivate hope? We hope you discover a range of different ways to take hopeful action, from practical workshops to repair cafes to community meet-ups.

Browse this year’s events