Chester Zoo is throwing a huge FREE wildlife festival this month

Back by popular demand, the free family friendly event Wildlife Connections Festival is coming to Chester Zoo next weekend.

The free family friendly event, held at the huge UK wildlife conservation zoo, will take place from September 16th-17th from 11.30am – 4.30pm.

The fantastic day is jam-packed with fun interactive activities and entertainment including live wildlife shows, creating your own bug den and plenty more.

At the six-hectare nature reserve, one of the UK’s best known children’s presenters Naomi Wilkinson will headline the event.

Conservations hope to raise awareness around the issue of species in decline including hedgehogs, butterflies, and wildflowers, as festival-goers enjoy a whole weekend connecting to nature and learning about the UK’s precious wildlife.

Promised to be a highlight of the festival is Naomi Wilkinson’s interactive stage show, which has been created especially for the festival and will focus on how everyone can do their bit to help our wildlife ‘survive and thrive’.

Fans will also get the chance to meet and greet Naomi on both days.

The festival is free to attend all weekend and there is no pre-booking required, with guests able to get up close and personal with the wildlife as well as get involved in a variety of interactive activities, such as bug hunting, bird spotting and workshops.

There will also be some great entertainment lined up including live music and a parade.

Ahead of the upcoming event, Chester Zoo’s Community Engagement Officer, Hannah Brooks, said: “Our fabulous Wildlife Connections Festival will be bigger and better than ever before this year.

“We’re over the moon to have one of the UK’s best known children’s TV presenters, Naomi Wilkinson, headlining across both days, as she very much shares our passion for protecting all of the wonderful species found right here in the UK.

“It promises to be a fun-filled weekend, packed with a whole host of activities.”

About the reason behind the festival and its importance for the Zoo and British wildlife, she added: “We’re in the midst of a global biodiversity crisis with species everywhere becoming ever more at risk of extinction, including here on our doorstep – but it’s not too late though to do something about it.

“There’s still hope and we can all make a difference, and we’ll therefore be giving our festival-goers lots of ideas and inspiration on what they can do to help turn things around for nature.

“We can’t wait to welcome everyone to what’s sure to be a fantastic, wildlife-inspired weekend.”