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Monarch Appreciation Day Celebration
October 21, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
From the City of Austin –
Monarch butterflies, and their fascinating story of migration, will provide the focus for a day of festivities at Zilker Botanical Garden during Monarch Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 21, from 9 am – 4 pm.
The event highlights the importance of pollinators, and attendees will learn how they can help by increasing or improving the habitat they provide at their own homes. In addition, there will be a variety of Monarch- and pollinator-themed programming to entertain everyone. Planned activities include:
- Butterfly releases will be conducted 3 times throughout the day: at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
- Eye-to-Eye with the Monarch – Guests can enter and walk through a special butterfly tent to observe Monarchs and other butterflies up close.
- Austin Bike Zoo – See the giant, playful, interactive, hand-built 13 foot tall Monarch butterfly bicycle. Attendees can ride the Magical Monarch Bike, or pose on it for pictures. http://austinbikezoo.org/blog/bike-zoo-butterflies/
- Native American Mechica (“Me-shee-ca”) Dance Group will bless the Garden, the festival and its guests by providing a Blessing Ceremony in which they will open and close the day at 10:15 am and 3:15 pm.
- Singing Zoologist— Lucas Miller – the singing zoologist! Silly Songs. Serious Science. First performance begins at 10:30 am on the stage in the Oak Grove, and performances will continue throughout the day between activities.
The butterfly theme extends throughout the Garden with the Violet Crown Garden Club flower show “Butterflies: My How they Fly!” that will take place in the Garden Center building on Saturday, October 21st from 1 pm – 5 pm and Sunday, October 22nd from 1 pm – 4 pm. This is FREE with admission.
Additional offerings at the event will include hands-on children’s activities, face painting, activities and information from a variety of partner organizations.
Parking and Admission:
Parking at the Garden is limited. Visitors are encouraged to park in the overflow lot at the back of the Garden on Stratford Drive (2300 Stratford Dr. 78746) and enter through the Butterfly Gate directly into the Butterfly Garden. In case the lot is unavailable due to delays in ACL take down, parking is also available across Barton Springs Rd. in the Zilker Polo Fields.
Admission fees are $3 for adults who do not live in the City of Austin, $2 for Austin residents, and $1 for seniors 62 and over and for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 are free.
The Zilker Botanical Garden is an oasis within Zilker Park, located on Barton Springs Road. The Garden is open year-round with the exception of New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Current Garden hours are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily, and will shift to winter hours of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily on November 5, 2017.
