Following our biggest programme yet in 2024, this year York Environment Week is coming back under the new name York Environment Festival, running from 27th September – 2nd November 2025.
York Environment Week was started in 2020 by York Environment Forum as an annual opportunity to raise awareness of how people in York are working hard to tackle climate change, increase biodiversity and make the city more sustainable. Since then it has grown year on year, expanding to become a multi-week programme of events.
In 2024, York Environment Weeks ran from 14th September – 12th October, featuring over 100 events, 62 event organisers and more than 3000 participants. To recognise and build on this success, the programme is being reimagined as York Environment Festival.
York Environment Festival is a chance to showcase and celebrate the brilliant work being done by local environmental groups, campaigners, businesses, universities, schools, arts organisations – and more! All events in the festival will be 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.
We will be opening our annual call for events on 1st June and our theme for 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 ask: what does it mean to cultivate hope? We are looking for events that offer people ways of taking hopeful environmental action, be that through education, activism, connection, creativity or hands-on practical activities.
Past events have included everything from nature walks to film screenings to arts workshops. Event organisers in previous years have commented that being part of the programme offers greater visibility for events, enables them to reach new audiences, and gives them the sense of being part of something bigger. Why not join them? We welcome any event that engages in some way with the local environment and/or the climate and biodiversity crisis.
If you have any questions about York Environment Festival or your proposed event, you can contact us at: info@yorkenvironmentweek.org.uk.