Wildlife warrior and TV presenter Chris Packham, along with Megan McCubbin, is to headline a festival at Careys Secret Garden near Wareham in Dorset, which explores wildlife and human migration.
The event takes place over two weekends – the first is from Friday 30th January to Sunday 1st February 2026 and is entitled Radical Friendship focusing on human migration and diversity, while the second weekend from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th February 2026 is called Bringing Nature Back looking at the natural world.
Chris Packham who lives in the New Forest in Hampshire has previously presented episodes of BBC Winterwatch and Springwatch from Arne in Purbeck
Bringing Nature Back
Chris, who is currently presenting the live BBC Winterwatch shows from Northern Ireland, and his stepdaughter, zoologist Megan McCubbin, who has also appeared on Winterwatch and Springwatch, will be at Careys Secret Garden for the second weekend on Saturday 14th February 2026.
Part two of Careys’ Migration Festival is dedicated to the movements of the natural world, focusing on birds and wildlife.
Topics on the agenda, to be explored through talks, art, music and film, include rewilding, biodiversity, ecology and conservation.
Other guest speakers include earth scientist and Jurassic Coast specialist Anjana Khatwa, nature conservationist working with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation Tim Mackrill, Co-founder of cosmetic company Lush Mark Constantine, and Paul Morton from Birds of Poole Harbour.
Megan McCubbin (left), pictured here with wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin (right) has used TV appearances and social media to speak out against animal cruelty
Radical Friendship
The first weekend of the Migration Festival, Radical Friendship looks at the movement of people across borders.
It was inspired by the experience of Careys Secret Garden owner Simon Constantine when he met a group of men who were being housed on the migrant barge the Bibby Stockholm in Portland, Dorset.
They visited the garden in December 2023 and returned on many occasions until the contract for the Bibby Stockholm ended in January 2025. Many were knowledgeable about bee keeping and land management and had fascinating and powerful experiences to share.
The festival will use talks, workshops, art and activism, all shaped by stories of movement, to both celebrate and challenge conceptions about diversity.
It will also feature a migrants’ art gallery, the Love Welcomes shop which uses art as activism, a political poster workshop, cookery classes with Woin Tegegn from Ethiopic Kitchen, a music workshop on the sounds of asylum, and an outdoor showing of the film, Flow.
Migrants from the Bibby Stockholm barge were welcomed on many occasions to Careys Secret Garden
Comedy nights
For the first time, both weekends will feature a comedy night to engage audiences on controversial subjects in a humourous way.
On Saturday 31st January 2026 the evening will feature three comedians from No Direction Home, a project for new comics from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
On the bill will be British Somali comedian Prince Abdi, who has toured with Michael Macintyre and draws on his migrant background to create a unique style of storytelling and comedy.
Also appearing is Ethiopian Selam Amare, a comedian, and champion of migrant stories in London, whose comedy is about standing up for her roots, and who won Time Out’s Extra Hot comedy club competition in 2025.
The third comic on the bill is Victor Rios, a British Bolivian actor, writer, producer, and director whose work blends sharp storytelling with a dose of humour.
On the second weekend on Sunday 15th February 2026, comedian and bird enthusiast Elaine Robertson takes to the stage. From County Durham, she was recently a finalist in the Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Awards.
Simon Constantine at the opening of his Berlin Wall display at Careys Secret Garden
“It’s smart, bold and unmissable”
Simon Constantine said:
“We’re trialling comedy events at our migration festival to entertain, challenge, and spark the kind of conversations that stay with you. It’s smart, bold, and genuinely unmissable.
“I also want our guests to hear from leading thinkers and storytellers whose talks open up new ways of understanding how movement shapes lives, communities, and ecosystems.
Experience Ethiopian cooking classes with Woin Tegegn from Ethiopic Kitchen
Further information
- Full festival details are on Careys Secret Garden website
- Read the Migration Festival online brochure
