12 & 13 September 2026
A World of Listening
The International Forest Bathing & Soundwalk Weekend
For one remarkable weekend, people across the world stepped outside, slowed down and listened.
In forests, parks, cities, gardens and coastal landscapes, communities came together through Forest Bathing and Soundwalks, sharing one simple invitation: to pay attention to the living world around us.
Presented by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and Quiet Parks International.
Explore the CelebrationOne Weekend. A World of Listening.
What began as one shared invitation travelled across landscapes, languages and time zones, becoming a global expression of attention, connection and care.
Across the World, Communities Stopped to Listen
On 12 and 13 September 2026, an invitation to slow down and listen travelled around the world.
From forests and coastal paths to city parks, university campuses and neighbourhood green spaces, 65 walks were shared across 20 countries and 60 communities. Each began in a particular place, shaped by its own landscape, language and local community. Together, they became part of one international moment of attention.
Forest Bathing and Soundwalks are distinct practices, but both invite us to move more slowly, awaken the senses and become more present to the world around us.
For one weekend, people in many different places were listening together.
Participating countriesAustralia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Many Places. Many Languages. One Shared Invitation.
Listening took place beside oceans and streams, in forests and neighbourhood parks, on university campuses, mountain paths and urban trails.
Some walks unfolded in quiet landscapes. Others invited people to experience the familiar sounds of their towns and cities with fresh attention.
Experiences were offered in languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Cantonese, Mandarin, Swedish and Slovenian, as well as through silence and non-verbal communication.
The places were different. The ways of listening were different. But each experience began with an invitation to pause and notice what was already there.
Slow down. Notice what is here. Listen to the living world.
Made Possible by a Global Community
The International Forest Bathing & Soundwalk Weekend came to life through the generosity, imagination and care of guides, organisers, community partners and participants around the world.
Guides carried the invitation into their own landscapes, languages and communities. They created opportunities for people to pause, awaken their senses and encounter familiar places with renewed attention.
Many local acts of listening became one shared international moment.
To everyone who guided, hosted, participated, shared and listened: thank you.
Two Organisations. One Shared Commitment.
The International Forest Bathing & Soundwalk Weekend brought together two distinct practices and two organisations united by a belief in the transformative power of attention.
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy
Founded in 2012, the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs supports planetary health by nurturing heart-centred relationships between people and the More-Than-Human World of Nature.
Through Relational Forest Therapy, ANFT trains guides to help people slow down, awaken their senses and enter into meaningful relationship with the natural world.
Discover ANFT
Quiet Parks International
Quiet Parks International is a non-profit committed to saving quiet for the benefit of all life.
Its work encourages people to experience, value and protect quiet places, and the quiet experiences offered through its network, Sound Walks among them, invite communities to slow down, step outside and listen more deeply to their surroundings.
Discover Quiet Parks InternationalTogether, we invited the world to listen.
What Did Listening Awaken in You?
Perhaps it was a moment of calm. A sound you had never noticed before. A different awareness of a familiar place. Or the feeling that your relationship with the natural world could become something deeper.
The weekend may have lasted two days, but the practice of noticing, listening and relating can continue.
Wherever you are beginning, ANFT offers a pathway to explore.
Begin with curiosity
Introduction to Forest Bathing
Experience the foundations of Forest Bathing and discover how slowing down and engaging the senses can change the way you encounter the natural world.
Explore the IntroductionDeepen the relationship
Relational Forest Therapy
Go beyond individual wellbeing and explore the relational foundations of ANFT’s practice, including reciprocity, embodiment and meaningful connection with the More-Than-Human World.
Discover Relational Forest TherapyLearn to guide others
Forest Therapy Guide Certification
Train with the organisation that has been developing and teaching its approach to Forest Therapy since 2012. Learn to guide experiences that help others slow down, awaken their senses and enter into deeper relationship with nature.
Explore Guide CertificationThe Weekend Has Ended. The Listening Continues.
The living world is still here.
In the movement of leaves.
In birdsong, water and wind.
In the sounds of our neighbourhoods.
In the quiet spaces between.
Keep listening. Keep noticing. Keep building the relationship.