Pavilion Garden Get Together

Pavilion Garden Get Together takes over the Royal Pavilion Garden on Sunday 28 June, from 11:00 to 15:00. It's a free, drop-in day celebrating the history, nature and community of the garden, and it marks the 176th anniversary of the grounds opening to the public back in June 1850.

There's a fair bit to get stuck into across the day. 'Garden Explorers' gives you identification guides, binoculars and wildlife spotting sheets to use around the grounds. 'Garden Art' has botanical art activities and cyanotype craft sessions, while 'Garden Games' is set up with board games, cards and outdoor games. 'Garden Greeters' are volunteers on hand for directions and informal chats, and 'Garden History' lets you meet archivists to talk through the garden's past. For families, 'Garden Tales' is a dedicated space with books, storytelling, costumes and face painting.

Running alongside those are the pop-up talks. The 'Garden Greeters' lead highlighted tours of plants, birds and trees at 11:00, 12:30, 13:00 and 14:30. Jack Thompson from the Sussex Wildlife Trust leads 'Wildlife Wanders' — a family-friendly exploration of the local fauna — at 11:30 and 13:30. And for the older crowd, ecologist Connor Butler gives 'The Birds & the Bees: Queer Ecology of Pavilion Gardens' at 12:00 and 14:00, which is recommended for ages 16 and over.

It's a free event, open to all ages, and since it's drop-in you can just turn up and pick your way through the activities and talks as they happen. The whole thing runs from 11:00 to 15:00 at the Royal Pavilion Garden in Brighton.