Events

PESTIVAL FUNDRAISER

For twenty years, Pestival has used art, science, comedy and culture to help people see insects differently. NOT simply as pests, but as extraordinary and essential parts of the living world. Now, Pestival needs a little help of its own. After two decades of building the PESTIVAL name, the Community Interest Company has found itself […]

Broadcast

Pestival v Rentokil

The irony of the pest killer trying to exterminate the pest educator is not lost on us.

Twenty years ago, I started Pestival because I wanted people to see insects differently — not simply as pests, but as extraordinary, essential parts of the living world. For two decades, Pestival has used art, science and culture to change the way we think about insects, ecology and our place in the natural world. Now, […]

Events

Pestival’s Zombie Ant Fungus on BBC Radio 4

The Art of Being a Zombie Ant Fungus

BBC Radio 4’s The Art of Being a Zombie Ant Fungus explores the extraordinary fungus that takes control of an ant’s nervous system, altering its behaviour so it can reproduce. Presented by cultural entomologist and Pestival collaborator Bridget Nicholls, the programme brings together science, philosophy, music and sound art to examine questions of autonomy, control […]

Featured

Zombie Ant Fungus at The Royal Institutition

The response from audiences, writers, scientists and performers was extraordinary.

Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control brought together science, theatre, music, performance and visual storytelling in a wildly imaginative exploration of one of nature’s strangest phenomena: the parasitic fungi that manipulate the behaviour of ants.

Events

Bridget Nicholls at Catalyst Club

Introducing Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control

Introducing Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control Pestival creator Bridget Nicholls joins Catalyst Club to share the thinking behind a bold new Pestival commission: Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control. Blending science, performance, and cultural enquiry, Zombie Ant Fungus explores the real biology of Ophiocordyceps – a parasitic fungus that can hijack the […]

Featured

Pestival Turns 20

More bugs. More love. More life.

In 2006, Pestival began with a simple idea: what if insects were not something to swat away, but something to celebrate?

Churchill Travel Fellowship

Expedition into the entomological unknown In 2023–24, our founder, Bridget, travelled through Asia and the USA on a Churchill Travel Fellowship.Her mission was to learn various new ideas and stories about insects and their importance to human cultures. A documentary of her journey is now in the making.  

Competition

#makemoreinsects – Pestival’s summer 2021 art competition!

Calling all insect-loving creatives to #makemoreinsects. Help us swarm all over Instagram this summer with insect-inspired arts, raise awareness of their precarious plight and put in our best effort to combat their rapid decline.

The insects need our help so let’s make more by any means necessary.

Featured

Beecab

Got the knowledge?

The Beecab is a London taxi specially customised by Pestival and London’s beekeepers, complete with a working beehive in the front seat

Broadcast

Insecterviews

Celebrity anthropodcast

Founder Bridget Nicholls has been busy chatting with a celebrity swarm of chatty anthropods

Events

ARUP Workshop

Inspiring a new generation of engineers

Inspiring the next generation in biomimicry and how we can learn from insects for more resilient future cities and architectures

Competition

Characters

Animated Pest Friends

Welcome our three planet saving insect characters, a collaboration with prestigious design agency Pentagram

Competition

Pimp My Hive

Blinged up insect homes

Create your own insect hotel, beehive or anthropod haven and help Pestival Make More Insects

Events

Bee Symphony

Honey harmonies

We commissioned Cabaret Voltaire’s Chris Watson to create a new interspecies work for bees and humans

Social

Who Knew? Hashtag Campaign

Eye opening facts

Broaden your knowledge with our myriad of weird and wonderful insect facts and figures

Events

Termite Pavilion

Beautiful Biomimicry

Termite mounds inspired engineers and architects to create this incredible live activation for a UK tour

Events

Nordic Food Labs x Pestival

Exploring the deliciousness of insects

World-renowned culinary research institute, Nordic Food Lab’s insect inspired joint venture with Pestival to help combat our global food crisis

Events

Entomophobia

Face your fears

Pestival and Wellcome Collection joined forces to create an exhibition addressing insect phobias

Broadcast

Who’s The Pest?

Exploring our complex relationship with insects

A month long series of debates, installations, walks and workshops to challenge our perception of insects

Events

Pestival the Festival

One huge insect celebration

50 free interactive events, 200,000 visitors and one mission: to celebrate the insects

Events

Pestival on the move

Animated Logo

We challenge the award winning design agency, Leagas Delaney to bring our Pestival logo to life

Competition

ARUP competition

Insect Engineers

Insect inspired architecture and technologies from the engineering artisans at ARUP

Events

Am I Attractive

Collaboration with Susana Soares

Do you attract or repel mosquitoes? Susana Soares explored this notion for Pestival

Events

Stewart Lee at Pestival

"I need this, I need Pestival"

Stewart Lee describes his idea to perform as an insect, costume and all, after being asked to appear at Pestival

Events

PESTIVAL FUNDRAISER

For twenty years, Pestival has used art, science, comedy and culture to help people see insects differently. NOT simply as pests, but as extraordinary and essential parts of the living world. Now, Pestival needs a little help of its own. After two decades of building the PESTIVAL name, the Community Interest Company has found itself […]

Broadcast

Pestival v Rentokil

The irony of the pest killer trying to exterminate the pest educator is not lost on us.

Twenty years ago, I started Pestival because I wanted people to see insects differently — not simply as pests, but as extraordinary, essential parts of the living world. For two decades, Pestival has used art, science and culture to change the way we think about insects, ecology and our place in the natural world. Now, […]

Events

Pestival’s Zombie Ant Fungus on BBC Radio 4

The Art of Being a Zombie Ant Fungus

BBC Radio 4’s The Art of Being a Zombie Ant Fungus explores the extraordinary fungus that takes control of an ant’s nervous system, altering its behaviour so it can reproduce. Presented by cultural entomologist and Pestival collaborator Bridget Nicholls, the programme brings together science, philosophy, music and sound art to examine questions of autonomy, control […]

Featured

Zombie Ant Fungus at The Royal Institutition

The response from audiences, writers, scientists and performers was extraordinary.

Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control brought together science, theatre, music, performance and visual storytelling in a wildly imaginative exploration of one of nature’s strangest phenomena: the parasitic fungi that manipulate the behaviour of ants.

Events

Bridget Nicholls at Catalyst Club

Introducing Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control

Introducing Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control Pestival creator Bridget Nicholls joins Catalyst Club to share the thinking behind a bold new Pestival commission: Zombie Ant Fungus: The Chemistry of Control. Blending science, performance, and cultural enquiry, Zombie Ant Fungus explores the real biology of Ophiocordyceps – a parasitic fungus that can hijack the […]

Featured

Pestival Turns 20

More bugs. More love. More life.

In 2006, Pestival began with a simple idea: what if insects were not something to swat away, but something to celebrate?

Churchill Travel Fellowship

Expedition into the entomological unknown In 2023–24, our founder, Bridget, travelled through Asia and the USA on a Churchill Travel Fellowship.Her mission was to learn various new ideas and stories about insects and their importance to human cultures. A documentary of her journey is now in the making.  

Competition

#makemoreinsects – Pestival’s summer 2021 art competition!

Calling all insect-loving creatives to #makemoreinsects. Help us swarm all over Instagram this summer with insect-inspired arts, raise awareness of their precarious plight and put in our best effort to combat their rapid decline.

The insects need our help so let’s make more by any means necessary.

Featured

Beecab

Got the knowledge?

The Beecab is a London taxi specially customised by Pestival and London’s beekeepers, complete with a working beehive in the front seat

Broadcast

Insecterviews

Celebrity anthropodcast

Founder Bridget Nicholls has been busy chatting with a celebrity swarm of chatty anthropods

Events

ARUP Workshop

Inspiring a new generation of engineers

Inspiring the next generation in biomimicry and how we can learn from insects for more resilient future cities and architectures

Competition

Characters

Animated Pest Friends

Welcome our three planet saving insect characters, a collaboration with prestigious design agency Pentagram

Competition

Pimp My Hive

Blinged up insect homes

Create your own insect hotel, beehive or anthropod haven and help Pestival Make More Insects

Events

Bee Symphony

Honey harmonies

We commissioned Cabaret Voltaire’s Chris Watson to create a new interspecies work for bees and humans

Social

Who Knew? Hashtag Campaign

Eye opening facts

Broaden your knowledge with our myriad of weird and wonderful insect facts and figures

Events

Termite Pavilion

Beautiful Biomimicry

Termite mounds inspired engineers and architects to create this incredible live activation for a UK tour