Inspirations
The UK-based Urban Tree Festival was our main source of inspiration to launch such festivals. It is an annual community celebration of trees, including their benefits, beauty, majesty, and magic, in cities, towns and all urban environments. Events, celebrations, walks, talks and storytelling are held across London and the UK, bringing all communities together to educate, inspire and share their enjoyment of trees. The festival is organised by a Community Interest Company which is run by a group of passionate volunteers and staff, working with event organisers who include artists, meditators, ecologists, urban planners and everyone who is inspired to love trees!
An existing URBACT Good Practice, the Budapest100 was the other. This architectural-cultural festival is a celebration of communities and the city, a weekend that brings city dwellers and neighbours closer together and draws attention to the built values around us.
The Budapest Tree Festival, first organised in 2025, is a living example of the above concepts presented to the BiodiverCity partnership, aimed at potential adaptation as a simple yet remarkable way to promote biodiversity. Each partner embraced the notion of biodiversity differently, interpreting and applying it in unique ways. Among them, Veszprém adopted one of the most comprehensive approaches, bringing together community involvement, trees, and both natural and personal heritage in a single festival initiative. Drawing on Veszprém’s experience and the organisational insights gained from the Budapest Tree Festival, several key recommendations have emerged for anyone dreaming of celebrating the trees and green spaces of their city.
Read the summary of the festivals and report on the Veszprém and Budapest case below!
Rita Szerencsés, Ferenc Albert Szigeti
