2024 highlights below
the san Antonio Community joined together for a Free, Family Friendly day of hands-on & experiential nature education!
People as pollinators experiment
Pick your favorite pollinator and transform yourself through face-painting and costume. Metamorphosize to experience a day in the life as your favorite butterfly, bee, bat, or bird!
Get ready for our newest and biggest fully immersive, multi-sensorial installation yet: the Lights Out! Bird City Maze. In this experience, you'll become a migrating bird with wings and bird vision, discovering the crucial role of turning off lights as you navgiate a night migrating the Texas sky.
Lights out! bird city maze
Monarch Migration Obstacle course
Become a monarch and fly the multi-generational Spring migration by eating milkweed and metamorphosizing 3 times. Then, overcome obstacles like hail, cars and taggers as you make your way back to Mexico for the Fall Migration.
education partners
Meet the over 35 environmental leaders and stewards of our community through educational hands-on activities.
Monarch Butterfly tagging
Become a citizen scientist and participate in an international project in partnership with Monarch Watch by placing a (harmless!) tag on a migrating monarch butterfly wing.
Plants, trees, & more!
Adopt a tree, plant a plant, and get your hands dirty as you learn how to do your part to take care of our ecosystem.
pollinator procession
Join our friends at Bexar Brass as we dance, flutter, and buzz through the festival in true pollinator style.
Meet the over 40 passionate environmental stewards from our San Antonio community that led attendees through engaging, hands-on activities that connected them with the wonders of nature. Whether they were learning about local pollinators, sustainable practices, migratory patterns, or the unique ecosystems of our region, there was something for everyone to discover and enjoy.
The festival sprouted eight years ago, sowed by founder Monika Maeckle of Texas Butterfly Ranch. Together with community allies, the festival grew into Texas' grandest celebration of monarchs and pollinators in support of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge with San Antonio as the first Monarch Champion City.
This annual city-wide event is free to attend, and brings together families, citizen scientists, and community partners to celebrate the Monarch Butterfly and all of the pollinators that support our ecosystem.
The bud blooms…
2024 Sponsors
Winkler family foundation
Meet the Nature Lovers, Creators, and Educators Behind the Festival
From stunning installations to engaging activities, these are the people making the magic happen.
ashley bird
Festival Director & Creative Direction
maura bobbitt
Education Director
Mallory Lancaster
Design & Logistics Lead
sharon Gutierrez
PR & Marketing
cecile parrish
Monarch Migration Obstacle Course Lead, Experiential Educator & Ecologist
drake white
Chief Monarch Butterfly Docent
Danielle Belleny
Lights Out! Bird City Maze Educator,
Biologist & Avian Activist
Jesse poulin
Lights Out! Bird City Maze Designer, Artist & Engineer
Guy Hundere
Lights Out! Bird City Maze Designer, Artist & Fabricator
