Date and time
Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 September
11.30am - 4.30pm
Price
FREE family event
Location
Chester Zoo's Nature Reserve
Get closer to nature than ever before at our FREE annual Wildlife Connections Festival.
We have two jam-packed days filled with wild activities, enthralling performances and amazing speakers that will have you captivated by the wildlife found right on our doorstep.
All our performances, activities and workshops are FREE to watch and take part in!
Cold refreshments will be available to purchase at the festival. Please note our festival refreshment stand is cash only.
INTERACTIVE TALK WITH NAOMI WILKINSON
How we can all help our beautiful British wildlife to survive and thrive?
Join much loved children’s TV presenter, Naomi Wilkinson for an interactive talk as she shares how we can all help our beautiful British Wildlife survive and thrive!
Naomi is one of the UK’s best known children’s TV presenters, recognised for her upbeat persona and daredevil attitude, perhaps most known for presenting and producing the Channel 5 live show Milkshake!
Join Naomi’s interactive talks in the Amphitheatre on both Saturday & Sunday from 1pm, followed by a meet & greet!
STAGE
Enjoy live music throughout the day from local artists!
AMPHITHEATRE
Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September
12:00 – 12:30 – Storytime with our Zoo Rangers.
12:30 – 13:15 – Zoo Ranger Show
13:30 – 14:00 – Join Naomi Wilkinson for an interactive talk as she shares how we can all help our beautiful British Wildlife survive and thrive.
14:00 – 15:00– Naomi Wilkinson ‘Meet & Greet’.
15:00-15:30 – Winnie’s Wildlife Wish
15:30 – 16:00 – Pollinator Parade! Come dressed as your favourite pollinator and join our pollinator parade.
DROP-IN SESSIONS – ALL DAY
Join us at any time fun, creative and inspiring activities in our beautiful nature reserve! Our hands-on activities include:
Mammal Detectives: Do mammals visit your garden? Come and learn about the tracks and signs they leave behind and the ways you can help these rarely seen visitors.
Brilliant Birds: Use our binoculars and guides to identify some of the 80 different bird species that can be found on our Nature Reserve! Then, make a bird feeder to help the birds that visit your garden!
Pond Live: Our reserve is home to several ponds brimming with interesting specimens. Visit this stall to see some of them in person.
Bug Basecamp: What better place to go on a bug hunt that Chester zoo’s nature reserve? Come and join our experts to hunt and record the vast variety of invertebrate species that call the nature reserve home.
Marvelous Meadows: What is a bee’s favourite flower? Discover the importance of pollinators and how you can encourage them to visit your garden and speak to our experts about composting.
ACTIONS ARENA
Join our Zoo Rangers in the Action Arena to take part in a variety of cool crafts that you can also try at home with just a few simple materials! There are SO many ways to reuse commonly binned items for a new purpose. Come and discover some of these ways with us…
Origami animals
11:30 – 13:00
Japanese art of ‘folding paper’ with an animal twist. Learn how to fold birds, butterflies and plants, then give them your own creative flourish with a variety of colours to bring your creations to life!
Bee & butterfly headbands
13:15 – 14:45
Be a bee or butterfly for the day! Create your own antennae headbands by using everyday materials and discover the importance of pollinators in nature. Inspire others by taking part in our Pollinator Parade!
Newspaper plant pots
15:00 – 16:15
Whether you’re a green thumb or complete beginner, these plant pots are super easy to make out of an old newspaper, and a great way to introduce more plants to your home or garden. UK wildflower seeds included.
Wellbeing and wildlife
12.30 Mindful Nature Meditation
13.30 Animal Yoga
14.30 Animal Yoga
15.30 Mindful Nature Meditation
Connection corner
Get stuck into a wider range of activities from local wildlife partners.
Drop-in sessions all day.
Face painting and wings
Transform yourself into a beautiful butterfly and flutter around our festival field.
Drop-in sessions all day.