The Fair
The Fair will run from 10am-5pm on Sunday 3rd May of the Bank Holiday weekend. We will be running a jam-packed and exciting schedule of speakers, panels, environmentally-minded retailers and fabulous caterers all day. This website will be regularly updated throughout March and April as we confirm and announce our exciting lineup, so do check back!
Links to free tickets for certain events will be available online through the LitFest page by late March, but all events will have walk-in availability on the day; simply turn up, have a wander around, and see what we have on. We have no doubt you'll find it hard to choose!
Michaela Strachan: renowned television presenter, singer, and wildlife broadcaster. Rising to fame in the 1980s children's TV, she became a staple of nature programming.
Dr Rupert Read: prominent academic, environmental philosopher, and activist known for his work on climate change, ecological risk, and the "moderate flank" of climate activism.
Tony Juniper CBE: environmentalist, author, campaigner, Chair of Natural England. Former Exec. Director of Friends of the Earth and Sustainability Advisor to the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III).
Dr Ella Gilbert: climate scientist and multi-award-winning presenter with a PhD in Antarctic climate change. AKA a professional cloud nerd, climate modeller and polar enthusiast!
Bors Hulesch: climate and social scientist who speaks mainly on the climate and ecological emergency and how individuals and communities can understand and act on it.
Tony Burdon: former CEO of Make My Money Matter, a pensions and banking campaign co-founded by Richard Curtis, the film director, focused on ensuring our money is invested sustainably.
Isabel Losada: author, actress, broadcaster, comedienne, public speaker, researcher, campaigner and environmentalist. Author of 'The Joyful Environmentalist: How to Practise without Preaching'.
Dr Sarah Lonsdale: accomplished journalist, author, and senior lecturer in journalism at City University of London. Author of 'Wildly Different: how five women reclaimed nature in a man's world'.
Mark Herbert: "The Herbivore". Woodsman-ecologist who is the custodian of Combwell Wood, an area of ancient woodland and a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Tunbridge Wells.
Frankie Read-Cutting: marine biologist, spokesperson for UK Youth for Nature, and an active advocate for nature and ocean conservation.
Lira Valencia: "Urban wildlife queen". London-based outdoor content creator, community builder, and nature enthusiast, with over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Monique Roffey, FRSL: award-winning writer, co-founder of Writers Rebel within Extinction Rebellion and a member of the Hard Art collective.
- How can we, the residents of TW, lead local action for nature and people?
- Does what and how we buy make a difference ?
- How can we push for clean rivers and a reliable water supply in our Borough?
- How can we, as young people, help each other and ourselves through this crisis?
- A Climate and Nature Hub for Tunbridge Wells? What should its priorities be?
Our 2026 Fair will feature some familiar faces from last year, and many more new! We are thrilled to be able to showcase a whole range of environmentally and socially conscious local stallholders. From food and coffee to local and national charities, by way of myriad creative retailers, we anticipate being able to offer our audience around 40-50 stalls.
If you are the owner of a local business, charity or social enterprise which you believe would be a good fit for the Fair and you would like to apply to be a stallholder, please fill out the form on the Join The Fair page and our excellent stalls coordinator, Julie Simpson, will get back to you.