- This event has passed.
ButterflyFest will not be held in 2021.
A Celebration of Wings, Wildlife and Biodiversity!
ButterflyFest is an annual festival to celebrate backyard wildlife with an emphasis on pollinators! From native butterfly releases, live animals, workshops and plant sales to merchandise vendors, entertainment and food, all activities are family-friendly and fun-for-all-ages!
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ButterflyFest is dedicated to increasing awareness of Florida’s butterflies as fun, fascinating ambassadors to the natural world. Activities will promote inquiry and provide a call to action for the conservation and preservation of backyard wildlife and habitats.
Hours
- Festival: Saturday, Oct. 12 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- 3-Day Plant Sale:
Friday, Oct. 11 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 12 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 13 | 1-5 p.m.
Admission
While the Butterfly Rainforest and Survival of the Slowest exhibits require an admission price, the festival and ButterflyFest activities are FREE!
Butterfly Rainforest exhibit admission is $14 for adults ($12 Fla. residents) and $7 for ages 3-17. Admission is free for Museum members and UF students with a valid Gator 1 card. Some vendors may charge for their services.
Note: The Museum does not have an ATM on-site.
Parking
FREE parking is available in the large Cultural Plaza parking lot and garage adjacent to the Museum. Campus decal restrictions are not enforced on weekends. In addition, parking restrictions will be lifted on Friday, Oct. 16, for the first day of the Plant Sale.
Activities
Ongoing on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
- Refreshments, Vendors, Plant Sale & Butterfly Releases (Outside)
- Dance Performances, Educational Groups & workshops (Various Locations Inside)
- Children’s Area (Outside)
ButterflyFest features a large three-day plant sale with more than 150 species of difficult-to-find and butterfly-friendly plants. Discover which pollinator species you can attract and learn about the butterfly-friendly plants that work best in your landscape.
Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019 | 1-5 p.m.
FREE parking is available in the large Cultural Plaza parking lot and garage adjacent to the Museum for all three days of the Plant Sale.
Want to receive 15% OFF your plant purchase? The Museum is seeking volunteers who are 18 years or older for the Plant Sale! Multiple shifts are available.
Migration Station
Six interactive stations allow guests to stimulate the migration of monarch butterflies and the dangers and challenges they face. Learn how the butterflies escape predators, navigate storms, find food and more. After completing each hands-on challenge, participants receive part of a monarch butterfly to assemble. The final stage of the journey is to hang their completed butterfly on the Monarch tree!
Join us for a chance to win prizes and explore migration through hands-on activities. This area is open throughout the festival on the lawn next to the Harn Museum of Art.
Pollinator Parade
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 | 12:30 p.m. (Children’s Area)
Wear your own pollinator costume for all Museum visitors to see as we celebrate these amazing animals during the annual Pollinator Parade! This is your chance to join bees, butterflies, bats and birds as we pledge to ensure the future of pollinators. The parade will begin in the Children’s Area.
- Alachua County Environmental Protection Department
- Alachua County Library District
- Alachua County Office of Solid Waste & Waste Resource Recovery
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Gators Ready for Exceptional Birding Experiences
- Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses (On-site from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
- Lepidoptera of North America Network (LepNet)
- LifeSouth Community Blood Centers (On-site from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Lubee Bat Conservancy
- Master Gardeners/IFAS Alachua County Extension Center
- The Mint Genome Project (The Soltis Lab)
- Our Santa Fe River
- Paynes Prairie State Park
- Southern Lepidopterists’ Society
- St. Johns River Water Management District
- UF Entomology Club (UF Entomology/Nematology Department)
- UF Honey Bee Research & Extension Lab
- UF’s Natural Area Teaching Laboratory
- UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute
- Wayfaring Painter
Food
- Hoggtowne Hotdogs: Specialty hotdogs
- Sublime Tacos: Savory Mexican food
- The Hyppo: All-natural ice pops made from fruits, vegetables and herbs
- Tropical Sno: Hawaiian shave ice
Merchandise
- Anu Arts n Crafts: Visual Art
- BananaCandy: Handmade handbags
- Baubles Bangles and Beads by RJ Morgan: Wire wrapped gemstone jewelry
- Beachy Beads: Handcrafted jewelry for everyday wear
- Bookish Apothecary: Handmade soaps, lotion bars, lip balms and beard oil
- Coral Cranes: Colorful wall hangings and mobiles with paper crane origami paired with handcrafted dream catchers or natural materials
- Cross Creek Honey: Florida floral varieties of honey, beeswax candles, bath treats and other beeswax goods
- Designs by Fur: Unique home decor accents and gifts, air plants and custom plant displays
- Easy Journey Entertainment: Face painting
- Fabulous Faces Entertainment: Airbrush face painting and tattoos
- Gator Jewelry Design: Handmade jewelry
- Insecta Imperfecta: Resin-cast insect jewelry, keychains and insect-themed household items
- M & G Art Innovators: Handmade cards and jewelry made using silver, hypoallergenic stainless steel, polymer clay, pearls and semi-precious stones
- Nerdy Fashionista Shop: Handmade jewelry, hair accessories, men’s bow ties and tote bags
- Nique’s Boutique: Crocheted, knitted and handsewn items
- Purple Star Clay: Clay jewelry, figurines and collectibles. Original art, prints, illustrations and stickers.
- Rachel’s Butterfly Photography and More: Photographs on canvas and metal, coasters, totes, mouse pads and butterfly life cycle picture books
- Samm Wehman Art: Animal-themed artwork, original paintings, apparel, stickers and greeting cards
- Simone’s Natural Notions: Natural and handmade soaps, soy wax candles and herbal eye pillows
- The Painting Sister: Hand-painted wooden items including ornaments, bowls and jewelry
- The Paper Pig Studio: Handmade paper art including framed wall art, shadow boxes, envelopes and cards
- The Tee Shop: On-demand t-shirt screenprinting
- Twist and Stretch Accessories: Fun and unique locally-made headbands and scrunchies
- UF Entomology & Nematology Student Organization (UF ENSO): Student organization selling entomology themed T-shirts
- Valhalla Spa Organics: Local beekeeper with local raw honey, handmade lotion bars, all-natural toothpowder, bath bombs and shampoo
- Wide Eyed Designs: Stained glass art and handmade goods
Museum Gift Shops
Make sure to stop by the Museum Collectors Shop and Butterfly Gift Shop for unique natural history, science and butterfly-themed items. The perfect spot to get your wings for the Pollinator Parade! Members receive a 10% discount on all purchases in the Museum Gift Shops.
Payment Options
The Museum does not have an ATM, so visitors are encouraged to bring cash if they would like to purchase items from festival vendors (as they may or may not offer other payment options).
Volunteer opportunities are offered annually for ButterflyFest, including assisting with the plant sale, nonprofit tables, activities and more! There are wide varieties of jobs available. Volunteers must be 18 and older with the exception of current Museum Junior Volunteers.
Sign up link will be available Sept. 2019!
Questions? Contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Hester at 352-273-2055 or email volunteers@flmnh.ufl.edu.
Sponsors
For information on becoming a ButterflyFest sponsor, please contact Kara Schwartz at 352-273-2047 or email kschwartz@flmnh.ufl.edu.
Organizer
The Florida Museum may photograph or video visitors for educational and promotional purposes. Attendance to a Florida Museum event constitutes the attendee’s consent regarding the possibility of appearing in Museum marketing materials.