Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium Celebrates 10th ANT-iversary
Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30, 2018 - 10am - 5pm
Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium will celebrate ten years of buzzing success on Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30, 2018.
The 10-year ANT-iversary events will celebrate North America’s largest free-standing museum, home to approximately 900,000 insects and their relatives since 2008.
The weekend will march into high gear on Saturday, September 29, when HOPPED will be hosted in the Centipede Suite. This special buggy cookoff will feature the Insectarium’s own top chef versus Audubon's very own in-house chef battling for culinary supremacy. The competing chefs will work with baskets filled with unknown ingredients while racing a time limit to create tasty treats. New Orleans' very own celebrities and audience members will serve as judges.
"At Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, we want visitors to 'bee' just as excited as we are about this 10-year anniversary, so we are inviting everyone to join in on the 'infestivities' with us,” said Jayme Necaise, Director of Animal and Visitor Programs at Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium.
The celebration weekend will also include guest favorite Pin a Beetle, beetle races, face painting, balloon artists, live bug encounters, and a butterfly release and chat at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. both days. A butterfly gardening presentation will occur on Sunday, September 30 as well.
Visitors will receive a free giveaway (while supplies last) along with insect-shaped cookies and buggy birthday cake!
Guests also can register to win a free birthday party in the Centipede Suite.
All ANT-iversary activities take place Saturday and Sunday, September 29 and 30, and are included with Insectarium admission.
Weekend Schedule:
Beetle races:
Times: 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: Just outside the Insectarium entrance
Special exhibitors:
Time: All day
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Locations: Just past the Swamp gallery and just past the Hall of Fame
Pin A Beetle:
Time: 10:30am – 4:30pm
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: Metamorphosis Lab
Cookoff:
Time: 1 pm
Day: 9/29
Location: Centipede Suite
Planting for Pollinators:
Time: 2:00pm
Day: 9/30
Location: Centipede Suite
Butterfly Release and Chat:
Times: 11am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: Butterfly Garden
Live Bug Encounters:
Time: 10:00am – 4:30pm
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: Metamorphosis Lab, Boudreaux’s Bait Shop and Field Camp
Special Buggy Birthday Cake and other edible insect dishes:
Time: All day
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: Bug Appétit
Special bug shaped cookies (no bugs):
Time: All day (while supplies last)
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: End of Main Hall
Register to win a birthday party:
Time: All day
Days: 9/29 and 9/30
Location: Centipede Suite
Audubon Nature Institute operates a family of museums, parks and research facilities dedicated to celebrating the wonders of nature. Through innovative live animal exhibits, education programs, and scientific discovery, Audubon makes a meaningful contribution to preserving wildlife for the future. Audubon Nature Institute flagships include Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Entergy Giant Screen Theater, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and Audubon Wilderness Park. Ron Forman is President and CEO of Audubon Nature Institute.