I am delighted to announce that the programme for the Tree Festival 2026 is now live!
The Tree Festival started in Brighton in 2024 to celebrate not just the beauty but the incredible value of trees.
Since then, it has spread across the whole of Sussex, helping people of all ages learn more about the wonder of the trees on their doorstep.
CPRE Sussex organises the festival with the invaluable support of local community groups and volunteers.
And I am very happy to report this year’s programme is packed with events for tree lovers of all ages, with guided walks, creative workshops, storytelling and much more.
The main festival takes place across May and June.
However, there are already plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Our popular “I love this tree because…” photographic competition is back for 2026.
This is an opportunity for photographers of all ages and abilities to capture what their favourite tree means to them.
There are two categories: Rising Stars, for young photographers 18 and under and the CPRE Sussex Photography Award for those 19 and over.
The overall winner will be selected from either category.
First prize is £100 with a £50 prize for the winner in each category.
All photos must be taken in Sussex, but the type of tree is up to you.
It could be a majestic woodland oak, a street tree which makes you smile on your way to work or a much-loved picnic spot in your local park.
Shortlisted work will be exhibited in venues across Sussex including Brighton’s Jubilee Library Foyer Gallery in June.
Selected work will also be shown on the CPRE Sussex website gallery.
The submission deadline is Thursday, 28 May, so get snapping to celebrate your favourite tree.
You can find out more about the competition and read the full submission guidelines at: cpresussex.org.uk/tf26/photographic-competition.
Another event which is already underway is the Another Sussex exhibition at the newly reopened Worthing Museum and Sussex.
Another Sussex, an exhibition by Figment Arts, is a fresh, contemporary perspective on local heritage.
Just one of the many fabulous stories told is of Worthing’s Mid-Summer Oak.
This wonderful tree was saved from felling 20 years ago and skeletons are still said to dance round it every Midsummer’s Eve!
Figment Arts will also be hosting an evening of singing and storytelling at the museum on Thursday, June 18.
The main festival programme officially begins in May and there is something for everyone – whether you are already an expert or are at the start of your tree appreciation journey.
On Sunday, May 24, a joyous and moving Tribute to the Trees will be hosted in Preston Park, Brighton.
This family-friendly event will include a celebration of our lost trees with author and presenter Reverend Peter Owen Jones.
There will be music, poetry, singing and a tree hunt, plus the opportunity to make a mask, crown or garland.
The event will close with a fabulous children’s parade.
What I am particularly pleased about this year, is how many different areas are joining the Tree Festival to make it a truly Sussex-wide event.
In Hastings, there is an Art in the Park! Session with Marta Munoz and ecologist Ralph Hobbs, an Ancient Tree Fossils event at the museum and a chance to explore the Church Wood Community Orchard.
Hastings Museum is also hosting a Trees in Stitches Exhibition from June 2-14.
In Burgess Hill, storyteller Ariane Hadjilias will share myths and folktales, games and fun during a walk around the Bedelands Nature Reserve.
There will be a Forest School taster session on the Steyning Downland Scheme and a Magical Trees Creative Workshop in Buckingham Park, Shoreham.
In Eastbourne, Treebourne will celebrate its fifth birthday with a party in Sevenoaks Recreation Ground, where the group planted more than 10,000 trees five years ago.
In Bexhill, there will be the chance to drop into the De La Warr Pavilion to design and construct your very own mini tree during a free, family-friendly event.
Guided walks will also take place across Sussex throughout the festival.
On May 30, tree expert Iain Palmer and Forest School leader Jen Eneke will lead a family-friendly walk in Stanmer Park, Brighton.
On June 7, renowned Sussex naturalist Michael Blencowe will lead a family-friendly talk and guided walk on the Railway Land Nature Reserve, Lewes.
Other highlights include hedgerow hero Derek Crush leading a walk around Daylands Farm and tree expert Professor Owen Johnson sharing his knowledge of the trees in Alexandra Park, Hastings.
There will also be further walks taking place in Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Hastings, Washington and Arundel, as well as a circular walk through Hassocks Ancient Woodland led by Bob Epsom from the Woodland Trust.
Make sure you check out the full list of events on our website, so you don’t miss out on what are sure to be informative and fun events!
Seeing the programme for this year’s festival, makes me truly grateful for all the wonderful volunteers and community groups who help make this celebration of trees possible.
Thank you to everyone who is organising events this year.
Trees are more than just beautiful – they provide shelter for wildlife, they help to slow climate change and they boost our health and wellbeing.
But they also need our protection.
I hope this year’s festival inspires more people to not just stop and admire the trees on their doorstep but to truly think about the value they bring.
By doing so, hopefully we can increase not only the number of people celebrating trees, but also those working to actively protect them.
We look forward to welcoming many of you to this year’s events.
Don’t forget to tag CRPE Sussex in any posts or photos you share on social media!
You can view the full programme for the Tree Festival 2026 at: cpresussex.org.uk/tf26.