A world-class festival of sustainability is to be staged in Bristol next summer in a move which organisers hope will make the city synonymous with all things ‘green’ in the same way as festivals in Edinburgh, Hay and Cheltenham are linked with the performing arts and literature.
Bringing together leading global experts and thinkers to share ideas and inspiration on developing a green future, the Big Green Week, will include a strong cultural element with music, theatre and comedy performances, a film festival, and new art, all reflecting an environmental theme.
Street art and exhibitions will transform the city centre. And the week – from June 9 to 17 – will culminate in the Festival of Nature, Europe’s largest free natural history festival.
Bristol is already one of the UK’s leading cities for sustainable development and the Big Green Week – the first week of its kind in the UK - will tap into the city’s rich resource of green expertise and practical experience. The event is jointly curated by Bristol Green Capital, Forum for the Future, and Bristol Natural History Consortium, and supported by Bristol City Council.
Confirmed speakers include TV’s Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud; National Trust chief executive Fiona Reynolds; leading green writer and thinker Jonathon Porritt; the Eden Project’s Tim Smit; author and thinker Sara Parkin; campaigner and writer Tony Juniper; and author and activist Andrew Simms.
Forum for the Future CEO Peter Madden said: “We want people to come to Bristol’s Big Green Week to be educated, inspired and have fun. We’re banishing environmental doom and gloom, and offering instead a rich programme of inspiration, with culture, talks and performance. Our goal is to create a world-class event, mentioned in the same breath – and attracting the same buzz – as the Edinburgh, Hay and Cheltenham Festivals.”
Bristol City Council leader Barbara Janke added: “Bristol is an ambitious and vibrant green city so it is a fitting location for such an exciting, landmark festival. Bristol’s Big Green Week will act as a showcase for the city’s many environmental organisations and projects, and reinforce our credentials as one of the leading green cities in Europe.”
For more information about Bristol’s BIG Green Week see www.biggreenweek.com
