Aviator Park, Race Street and Dinosaur Hall
Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Academy Lobby Level

The Academy is all about festival fun — inside and out! There’s something for everybody, from science-loving families to experienced invertebrate enthusiasts. Satisfy your natural curiosity while you talk to experts, look at amazing invert art, enjoy fresh fare from local food trucks or browse the brand-new vendor market. Come on in!

For guests who may need a quiet moment during Bug Fest, Darwin Room off Dinosaur Hall on the Lobby Level is equipped with sensory-friendly considerations, including lower lighting for a calming pause. Please ask staff to direct you to the space.

Guests are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle to the Academy on their visit. Water bottle refilling stations are located throughout the building. Learn more about Plastic Free Philly and the Academy’s commitment to reducing the use of single use plastics, including water bottles.

Now and Then Market
Aviator Park and Academy Front Patio (Outdoors)

For its second year at Bug Fest, the Now and Then Market will highlight local Philadelphian artisans whose work is inspired by inverts and nature.

Food Trucks
Race Street (Outdoors)
10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Outdoors for Everyone Welcome Desk With Disability Pride
Dinosaur Hall

Disability Pride Pennsylvania provides accessible spaces where everyone can play together. Stop by the Welcome Desk to find out what accessibility-friendly experiences are recommended at Bug Fest, including ASL interpreted show times and Quiet Room access. Learn more about upcoming family friendly “Outdoors for Everyone” events, chat with the group about their mission and grab a giant bug sticker and some swag (while supplies last!).

Bug Hub Live Invertebrate Displays
Building-wide

Take a closer look at some of the most misunderstood and fascinating insects, arachnids and more.

ASL Interpretation provided at all shows by HandsUp Productions

Auditorium, Level 1

Roach Races
Saturday:10:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Sunday: 10:30 a.m.

Come cheer your favorite roach as it tests its speed on different tracks and races over obstacles. Meet the competitors at Science Live outside the Auditorium before the races begin.

Bug Appétit! with Joy Nemerson

Saturday and Sunday: 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.

Bug Chef Joy Nemerson will demonstrate the culinary art of entomophagy (eating insects) and preparing tasty treats with the buggiest ingredients in the most unique cooking show you’ll ever see!

Ask the Experts

Saturday: 12:30 and 3:15 p.m.
Sunday: 12:30 p.m.

Talk with scientists from the Academy and find out about current research projects. Ask whatever insect questions are bugging you and find out how you can become an entomologist or researcher, too.

• Saturday, 12:30 p.m.: Meet the Macros with biologist Dr. Tanya Dapkey
• Saturday, 3:15 p.m.: Ask Me Anything with entomologist Greg Cowper
• Sunday, 12:30 p.m.: Milkweeds and Milkweed Butterflies: Unraveling a Tangled History with botanist Dr. Tatiana Livschultz

Bugs on the Big Screen

Saturday and Sunday: 1:15 p.m.

This unique live animal show will take a high-definition look at what makes bugs beautiful, amazing, and important.

Film Event (Sunday)

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
3:15 p.m., Auditorium, Level 1

Intro by Jason Weintraub, Entomology Collection Manager

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009), 90 minutes, directed by Jessica Oreck. In Japanese with subtitles.

Working backwards through history, the film explores the mystery of the development of Japan's love affair with bugs, uncovering Japanese philosophies that will shift Westerners' perspectives on nature, beauty, life, and even the seemingly mundane realities of their day-to-day routines.

Dinosaur Hall
Lobby Level and Mezzanine

From the exotic to the everyday, Academy staff, friends and guests love insects, arachnids and myriapods of all stripes. Explore ancient fossils and newly discovered species. See rarely displayed specimens from the Academy’s world-class Entomology Collection and discover the fantastic bugs that populate other, more unexpected corners of the Earth.

Buggy Story Times and the Free Library of Philadelphia Book Bike
Storytimes at 11 a.m., 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Storytimes at 11 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m. Sunday

Come and see the Free Library of Philadelphia Book Bike and check out a fun bug book! Then join us for story time led by librarians of the Free Library of Philadelphia and Academy staff.

Before the Dinosaurs: Meet the Paleo-Bugs!

Dive into Cambrian and Ordovician seas full of trilobites, sea scorpions and early arthropods from the Academy’s Invertebrate Paleontology Collection. Guests will create their own paleo arthropods and strike a pose with a giant, human-size (8-foot!) sea scorpion cutout.

Inverts of the Ocean

While we might not think of them as bugs, the amazing arthropods that call the ocean home have at least one thing in common with land-based insects and arachnids — they are spineless survivors! Check out displays of large, charismatic invertebrates such as lobsters, mantis shrimps, the Bobbit Worm and others. Watch as staff demonstrate cleaning soot-covered specimens from the Academy's collections.

“Oh, My!” Insects

Take a closer look at some of the most impressive research insect drawers from the Academy's 4 million insect specimens. You’ll see more than 20 drawers of insects that are guaranteed to make you say "Oh, my!"

The Zooniverse Project

Learn about the amazing Zooniverse project of crowd-sourced transcription of handwritten field notes from the Academy’s archives and help catalog our collections. Check out some very handsome examples of entomological scholarship from the Academy’s esteemed reference collection on display for browsing and discussion.

Bug to the Future: Bug Fest Time Machine

The Academy’s Dinosaur Hall “Time Machine” is set to “wayback bugs”! Jump in and digitally transport yourself to a time when giant invertebrates scuttled, swam and flew all around.

Insect Specimen Preparation

Watch Academy staff preparing insect specimens for the ANS Entomology Collection and explore insect preparation techniques, particularly spreading butterflies and moths. Observe living immature stages of Lepidoptera on display along with preserved corresponding adult butterfly and moth species.

Insect Migration: Not Just Butterflies!

All sorts of insects besides butterflies migrate! Discover the natural history of dragonflies, damselflies, flower flies and true bugs that also embark on migrations of dozens or hundreds of miles, and learn when and how you can observe them.

Entomology Collection Peek Behind-The-Scenes
Every 30 minutes beginning at 10:15 a.m.; final tour is 4:45 p.m. Saturday and 2:45 p.m. Sunday
Ages 12 and up

For the first time ever, join a behind-the-scenes tour of the Entomology Collection during Bug Fest! Learn how insects are collected, preserved and used for research, and get a chance to see the oldest insect collection in the western hemisphere. Space is limited. Sign up in advance at the “Insect Migration: Not Just Butterflies!” station and meet staff five minutes before your tour begins at the signup point. Tours leave promptly.

Acoustic Insects and the Diversity of Valley Forge

Explore research being done by Drexel co-Op students in the Entomology Department. Make a buggy-beat with recordings of acoustics insects or create your own insect while learning about the diversity found at Valley Forge National Historical Park!

Fly Diversity of Pennsylvania

Explore specimen display drawers to highlight some of Pennsylvania's most exciting, beautiful and interesting fly species and groups. Learn about the extraordinary diversity of flies and their vast ecological roles including decomposition, pollination and parasitism.

Beautiful Bugs, Dazzling Diversity

We are socialized to see bugs as “creepy,” “ugly” and “gross,” but look closer and you will find a bizarre world that is still only beginning to be understood. Learn about how evolutionary pressures have contributed to the formation of fantastical appearances, unparalleled diversity and how art and science combine in the Class Insecta.

Equipment for Collecting and Preserving Insects from Ecology Supplies

Convert your inner enthusiast into an active entomologist! Browse and purchase professional entomology supplies and insect-themed temporary tattoos from Ecology Supplies. Come and explore all the different supplies, from catching and viewing bugs outdoors, to pinning them for your collection.

Science Live and North American Hall
Level 1

Invertebrates are everywhere, in every ecosystem you can imagine. They need everything to survive that you need: shelter, food, water and other members of their species. Picture what your life would be like as a bug, learn about invertebrate care and keeping and discover how your world is not so different from a bug’s.

Respect for Roaches

Find out why cockroaches are diverse, beautiful animals that deserve our admiration. Come scope out the competition for the Roach Races and make your predictions for which cockroach will scuttle to glory in the Roach Race 500.

Bug Appetit! Sampling Station
Sampling ongoing; shows at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. in the Auditorium

“Entomophagy,” or eating bugs, is a common, sustainable and delicious practice all over the world. Meet Bug Chef Joy Nemerson after you’ve watched her cook up some slimy yet satisfying treats in the auditorium! Crunch down on a chocolate chirp cookie, dive into some waxworm salsa or devour some shrimp and ants. Guests with shellfish allergies should not consume insects.

Frank the Wire Art

Explore the “twisted” world of artist and Academy staff Frank Galaviz and marvel at his wire creations. Look closely at the invertebrates on display… you’ll be surprised by just how much backbone they really have!

Which Would You Bee?

Take a personality quiz to determine what bee species you might be based on your own habits and interests. Practice bee species and learn all about Philadelphia's bees.

Adorable Ants and Aphids (Saturday)

Explore the world of live aphids and ants on small plants with a magnifying glass. Stop by and make an ant and aphid coloring sheet while you talk to scientists.

Mimicry of Bugs (Sunday)

Be amazed as you try matching mimicry and camouflage used by native insects found in our gardens and at our preserves of Natural Lands (eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey). Learn the incredible habits of insects who perform mimicry and employ camouflage as a means of survival, food source, mating and reproduction, and more.

The Wonder of the Monarch Butterfly

Learn about the monarch butterfly life cycle, migration, conservation concerns and importance of native plants. Marvel at live eggs, caterpillars and pupae under a microscope alongside adult specimens and native host plants. Take some photos, get a handout on actions you can take and seek advice on plantings you can establish to help protect monarchs.

Hydrology, Microhabitats and Cranefly Diversity

Be introduced to the concepts of hydrology, microhabitats and diversity of craneflies collected in Southeast Pennsylvania. Check out specimens stored in alcohol!

Building a World for Bugs Tank Construction Demos

Invertebrates (and the creatures who eat them!) are perfectly adapted for the world where they live. When we take care of animals at the Academy, we make sure we think carefully about all of their needs, from substrate to snacks. Meet husbandry specialist Nick Brewster from Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, and watch while he builds beautiful new enclosures for the museum to house our animal ambassadors.

Bug Headband Make-and-Take

Wrap your head around being a bug! Come color and wear a bug headband that brings out your inner insect. With your bug headband in place, buzz together with others around Bug Fest!

Pollinator Parade with America’s First Urban Refuge
Pollinator Parade, 11:45 a.m.

Celebrated as America's first urban refuge, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum was established in 1972. The refuge is a treasured green space nestled within the city of Philadelphia, teeming with a rich diversity of fish, wildlife and plants native to the Delaware Estuary. Join staff from the refuge to make a wearable butterfly wing craft, join the pollinator parade, try some refuge activities and explore the refuge event calendar.

In the Garden with Artist Salma Garcia Nolasco

Come and explore artist Salma Garcia Nolasco’s paper-mâché installation of flowers and make your own insect mask. Then don your mask and buzz among the flora. For all ages. Perfect for a photo-op!

The Commons
Ground Level

Academy scientists and Philadelphia community members have dedicated themselves to studying invertebrates and advocating for their health and habitats. Talk to Academy scientists and local experts to find out how you can get involved in invertebrate research and conservation.

American Entomological Society and Bug Walk Signups
Bug Walks 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday
Bug Walks 11 a.m., 1 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Check out insect displays and make-and-take a Bug Fest keepsake with the American Entomological Society before you join Academy entomologists on an expedition just outside the museum. You’ll be amazed by what you find! Space is limited. Sign up in advance, and meet staff five minutes before your tour begins at the signup station. Tours leave promptly.

Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management

The Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (PA IPM) is a collaboration between the PA Department of Agriculture and the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The mission of this program is to promote effective pest management that results in the efficient protection of our food, fiber, health, home and industrial resources in a manner that is profitable, safe and environmentally compatible.

Pollinator Conservation with the Xerces Society

Look through the microscope at bees or play a quick insect information quiz to win a sticker or bookmark. Read up on the literature on invertebrate conservation and tips for helping fireflies, Monarch butterflies and pollinators. Find out why it's important to "Leave the Leaves," hear about the Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program, see a few Riker mounts that include aquatic insects and butterflies and make a list of native plants to plant in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Kissing Bugs

Meet experts from the IDEAS Lab at the University of Delaware, and learn how they are spreading the word about kissing bugs in the Mid-Atlantic.

Native Plant Exploration

Meet the native plant enthusiasts of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. Pick up handouts providing information about native plants and their benefits for the environment.

Loveable Locals

What invertebrates are lurking in your backyard? Come learn about where, when and how you can find and collect local invertebrates. Learn about what you can do to preserve your finds and how invertebrates were preserved in the past. Make your own "pinned" insect to take home.

SAFEing Monarch Butterflies!

Meet the invertebrate enthusiasts of the Brandywine Zoo. Find out how they are teaching people to protect pollinators and growing native species right at the zoo. Explore invertebrate biofacts and learn information focusing on monarch butterflies. Make and take a butterfly lifecycle pasta craft.

Don't Squash That Bug! Beneficial Insects in the Garden

Not all insects in our gardens are pests! Learn more from the Master Gardener program at Penn State. Find out about the diverse group of insects (pollinators, predators and parasitoids) in our gardens that may look scary, but are harmless and are extremely important to a healthy garden. Get information about how to welcome insect friends and manage insect pests with little-to-no chemicals while you play games and explore specimens.

Insects and Climate Change

Climate change poses significant threats to insect populations, including shifts in geographic range and risk of extinction. These changes can have consequences for ecosystems, agriculture and human health. Talk to local experts from the Climate Reality Project and find out how you can reduce your impact on these fragile populations.

Fight the Bite!

Meet representatives from the Philadelphia Health Department and find out how mosquitos impact our lives in the region. Explore a pinned mosquito display; see live adult mosquitoes in a rearing cage, mosquito larvae and mosquitoes under a microscope; and learn about mosquito traps and control equipment.

Meet the Macros

From toe-biters to whirligigs to caddisflies, macroinvertebrate biodiversity is vital to understanding the health of a freshwater ecosystem. Check out some water-dwelling inverts and meet scientists from the Academy’s Patrick Center for Environmental Research. Learn more about the projects they are undertaking in Philadelphia and throughout the United States. Discover what steps you can take to keep our ecosystems safe and biodiverse.

Level 3

Loving bugs starts young! Kids (and kids at heart) can enjoy hands-on exploration, storytelling, crafts and live animal encounters to learn more about the world around them. If you love bugs, you’re invited, no matter how old you are!

Buggin’ Out

Join us in BEES Classroom for some family-friendly fun! Build a bug, complete a craft, take a look at our book nook and try not to get tangled in the spider webs. This interactive space is perfect for engaging younger visitors!

Outside In

Want more bugs? Inquisitive minds of all ages can investigate animal habitats, explore science and the natural world and discover how we all have a role to play in our ecosystem.