Bug Fair 2023 - SOLD OUT
Date
Location
Tickets
Over one million species. Only one Bug Fair.
Join NHM this May for a two-day festival celebrating our winged, multi-legged, and squirmy friends for the 37th annual Bug Fair! Visit a variety of exhibitors and see everything from exotic insect collections to unique and cool bug-related products. Experience up-close encounters with crawly creatures, learn all about insects and their benefits to the environment–like our highlight bug the emerald cockroach–get hands-on and crafty, and so much more! Mark your calendars and come see what all the buzz is about on May 20 & 21!
ASL Interpretation for Bug Fair will be provided by Pro Bono ASL.
Bug Fair 2023 Exhibitors
Schedule of Events
Ongoing from 9:30 am–5 pm
- Welcome Tables: Great location for all Bug Fair info!
- Coloring Station & Butterfly Barrette Activity
- Bugtopia
- Spiky, Hairy, Shiny - Insects of LA
- Nickelodeon Slime Booth: Don't miss your chance to get (virtually) slimed!
- Prehistoric Planet Season 2: Discover new dinosaurs and habitats in this groundbreaking series from AppleTV+.
- LADWP Water Trailer [SATURDAY ONLY]
Timed Programs/Activities
10 AM & 10:45 AM | Bee Bundles: Support native bee populations by creating “Air Bee n Bee”s to put in your local greenspaces.
- Tickets Distributed at 9:30 am
- First Come, First Serve: limited quantity!
- 1 Bee Bundle per family
10 AM–3 PM | Prehistoric Planet Screening: Experience the wonders of our world like never before in this epic series from Jon Favreau and the producers of Planet Earth. Travel back 66 million years to when majestic dinosaurs and extraordinary creatures roamed the lands, seas, and skies.
12:30 PM | Giant Bee: Thank you to the pollinators! Enjoy this giant bee puppet and its four puppeteers bringing it to flight!
2 PM & 2:45 PM | Bee Bundles: Support native bee populations by creating “Air Bee n Bee”s to put in your local greenspaces!
- Tickets Distributed at 1:30 pm
- First Come, First Serve: limited quantity!
- 1 Bee Bundle per family
2:30 PM | Story of Colors Suitcase Show: Join a young puppet child as he searches through worlds of colors for a place where he belongs. Live music and tiny puppets!
Stage Presentations
- 11 AM | Bugs on the Menu [SUNDAY ONLY]: Learn about entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, with presenter Asli Pekcan. She’ll show you how insects can be both nutritious and delicious. Plus enjoy a snack while supplies last!
- 1 PM | Sing Move Play! - Bug Fair Edition: Come sing, move, and play with Banjo John and friends for a bug-themed musical performance. Usually for Members only every month, see what all the buzz is about!
- 2 PM | Amazing Creatures and Slimy Features - Meet the Bugs of NHM: See incredible bugs from the Museum's Living Invertebrates Collection and discover some of their goo-based tricks!
Museum Display Tables
11 am–2 pm | Bug Care Meet and Greet: Meet with the Museum's Living Invertebrates keepers, along with some of our live insects and spiders, and get bug care tips from the pros!
11 am–3 pm | Museum Collections: Chat with members of our Research & Collections departments and learn about the bugs they study.
11 am–3 pm | Bugs & Gardens: Play a matching game with members of our NHM Horticulture team and learn about the relationships between plants and bugs that call the Nature Gardens their home.
Keep an eye out for…
Nature Gardens: Pop-up “bug” walks with our Performing Arts team!
Learn more about Bug Fair participants!
Meet the Emerald Cockroach:
Highlights from Bug Fair 2022!
Get Ready for Prehistoric Planet Season 2.
The groundbreaking series is back with new dinosaurs and new habitats. Check out the Season 2 trailer for Prehistoric Planet, launching globally on Apple TV+ May 22.
Catch up on Season 1 all weekend long at NHM’s Bug Fair as it’s screened in the North American Mammal Hall on Level 2.