News / Festival of Nature
Bristol welcomes UK’s first pop-up wetland
The UK’s first pop-up urban wetland has been unveiled in Bristol as part of the Festival of Nature.
It will be showcased in the middle of Millennium Square on Saturday and Sunday.
The eight-metre by eight-metre wetland was brought to life by the Festival of Nature, Beautiful Wonder and WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife.
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A pop-up urban wetland has been unveiled in Millennium Square ahead of this weekend’s Festival of Nature 2025 – photo: Cerys Larsen
The initiative aims to reintroduce elements of the natural environment into the city centre.
Where Millennium Square is today was once marshland; still reflected in place names like Canon’s Marsh.
Visitors over the weekend will be able to wander among more than 400 plants including common reed, bulrush, water mint and sedge, all of which will be replanted at WWT Slimbridge’s new Estuary Shoreline garden after the festival.
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Speaking at a preview of the pop-up wetland, Festival of Nature director Savita Willmott told Bristol 24/7 that the inspiration for this year’s theme, water, came from “audiences and visitors talking about water and getting excited about water over the last couple of years”.
Willmott described “a moment for water” that drew together partners, including WWT.
When asked about the inspiration for the pop-up wetland at this year’s festival, Willmott said: “The Festival is all about giving people the chance to see something different.
“We really want to surprise people with the wetland.”
The theme of this year’s Festival of Nature is “water” – photo: Cerys Larsen
Willmott added: “We’ve always had the Festival of Nature here in Millennium Square. It’s a really well loved part of the city and people know it really well. But it’s got a lot of concrete.
“We’ve done a few things over the years of thinking about how we bring green spaces in… and then we had a conversation with WWT who said, ‘We’ve got an idea of how we can bring water into the square’.”
Willmott told Bristol 24/7 that the theme of the Festival hopes to “change the conversation” about nature spaces, ensuring that people are “talking about (both) green and blue spaces”.
CEO at WWT Sarah Fowler describes wetlands as “carbon-sinking, water-purifying, flood-busting, nature-reviving, mood-lifting ecosystems” that often appear “a world away from our cities” – photo: Cerys Larsen
WWT CEO Sarah Fowler describes wetlands as a “forgotten habitat” and hopes the pop-up will remind the public of “the powers of wetlands” which are “brimming with wildlife”.
“They’re amazing habitats for storing carbon, for giving us resilience from flooding and from droughts, and for cleaning up our water,” Fowler said.
The Festival invites the public to build their own “mini wetland” – photo: Cerys Larsen
Fowler added: “This is a chance to say nature and people can come together.
“You don’t have to have places that are just for people and then places just for nature.
“This is about rediscovering the magic of wetlands, rediscovering their powers for people, for nature and for our climate resilience.”
Fowler added: “When you add water, you get wildlife back instantly. You can start small and stay small, and still have an impact.
“Let’s pour nature back into our cities rather than pouring concrete.”
The Festival of Nature is a free event taking place on Millennium Square on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. For more information, visit www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature/event/wild-weekend-millennium-square
Main photo & video: Cerys Larsen
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