Crowds gather for Tribute to the Trees

Sussex Tree Festival begins with celebration of trees in Preston Park, Brighton.

Tree lovers of all ages gathered in Brighton on Sunday (May 24) for a Tribute to the Trees.

Led by author and presenter Rev Owen Jones, the celebration in Preston Park officially kick-started the Sussex Tree Festival 2026.

There was music, poetry, a tree hunt, crown and garland making and a celebratory children’s parade.

Nancy Duckels, CPRE Sussex campaigns and communications manager, said: “On a fantastic sunny day in Brighton we had some lovely conversations with people about the value of trees and why they are so important in our city. We are very grateful to the Friends of Preston Park for helping to organise the event, as well as the performers who did an amazing job. It was also great to speak to so many people about our street tree planting project, Plant Your Postcode.”

The Tree Festival continues until Saturday, June 7, with events taking place across Sussex.

View the full programme here.

There are also just two days left to enter the ‘I love this tree because…’ photo competition.

The competition is open to photographers of all ages and closes at 11.59pm on Thursday, May 28.

Find out more and enter here.