Visitors Invited to Connect with Monarch Butterfly at the Annual Monarch Palooza Free Event in North Park Village Nature Center on August 24

The Chicago Park District invites patrons to the annual Monarch Palooza festival, which celebrates the monarch butterfly, while educating attendees about the conservation and biology of the beloved creature.The event welcomes people of all ages to the North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd., Saturday, August 24, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration is not required.Visit the Monarch Palooza event page for more details.

Monarch Palooza will feature family friendly art and science activities, including painting, an interactive yarn activity, live music, and guided hikes through the preserve. In addition, Son Monarcas, a performance and workshop group, will be present for the festivities.

The monarch butterfly is a symbol of cultural and natural heritage. Their presence is an important signal of healthy ecosystems, and the Chicago Park District is proud to perpetuate the conservation of these creatures with educational community celebrations such as Monarch Palooza. Monarch butterflies' presence in neighborhood parks is a sign that the Chicago Park District infrastructure is effective at facilitating historic migration patterns. Natural areas, like North Park Village Nature Center, and many others across the city, create ideal habitats for monarchs and a wide range of other important native pollinators.

Patrons are invited to continue learning about the importance of butterflies in our habitats by exploring the "Flight of Butterflies," an expansive citywide public installation art experience, in 16 of the Chicago Park District's environmentally diverse natural areas. The exhibit, curated in partnership with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, landed in Chicago's Natural Areas in August and will be on display through September 2025. For more information and a map of where the butterfly sculptures are located, please click here.