Bug Fair 2023 - SOLD OUT

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Add to calendar 2023-05-20 09:30:00 2023-05-20 17:00:00 NHM - Event - Bug Fair 2023 Natural History Museum nhmla webmaster@nhm.org America/Los_Angeles public
Bug Fair 2023

Date

There are no future occurrences of this event.

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Location

Natural History Museum
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Tickets

Free with paid Museum admission and to Members
Tickets are now sold out for this event

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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 - Exhibitor with tarantula

Bug Fair 2023 Exhibitors 

Visit a variety of exhibitors to see exotic insect collections and to purchase bug-related products, bugs for pinning, and live bugs as well!

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!

Photo of Asli Pekcan

Asli Pekcan | Edible Insect Enthusiast/Medical Student

Asli Pekcan is a student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She was first introduced to edible insects by Aly Moore, the founder of Bugible, an insect advocacy platform. Inspired by the movement, she decided to volunteer with Bugible, writing articles, designing infographics, and developing recipes. Asli hopes to continue her journey in the bug world and share her passion with others throughout her future career in medicine.

Photo of One Grain of Sand

One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater

One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater began in the fall of 2001 with a small suitcase show and the idea that even one tiny grain of sand can tilt the balance toward a more positive future. One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater includes puppetry artists, musicians, visual artists, actors, choreographers, educators and community organizers. We focus on very small portable shows and also very large puppets for festivals, pageants, community actions and parades.  The core of the work is sharing the ordinary/extraordinary stories of everyday people. The heart lies in building communities through puppet theatricals that explore cultural reclamation, ancient myth, connection to the earth, little known community stories and the issues of our time. 

To learn more about the One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater, visit their Instagram and Facebook.

Image of Horticulture staff working in the garden

Horticulture Team
The Museum has a dedicated staff of horticulturalists that oversee the care and maintenance of our gardens. The Nature Gardens has over 600 kinds of plants, including California natives and others from around the world, that are home to a variety of birds, butterflies, lizards, squirrels, and more! This amazing team enjoys sharing their love for horticulture and gardens with the local community.
Follow Nature Gardens on Instagram @nhmla_naturegardens

Image of Living Collections team presenting a live animal

Living Collections
Did you know the museum has a team of professional animal keepers on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit and behind the scenes at the museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes. We have around 15-25 species of vertebrates, and 70-100 species of invertebrates at any given time.  
Follow Living Collections on Instagram @nhmla_liveanimals

Image of Museum Educator leading a Storytime program.

Museum Educators

The Museum Educator team at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are the knowledgeable staff that enhance the visitor experience through personal interaction. Through research and training, Museum Educators create and facilitate educational programs for general museum visitors, for school groups, and for special events, both in-person and virtual.

Image of Performing Arts team members

Performing Arts

The team behind the Performing Arts department at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County creates live theatrical performances based on our exhibits, research, collections, and events. Learn more about this unique program HERE

Image of a collection display table

Research and Collections
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. The Research and Collections Department is the research institution within the museums. They create new knowledge through academic scholarship in history and science. Visitors can get up close to these fascinating objects and specimens, which are sometimes displayed in exhibitions and during museum events. 

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Asli Pekcan | Edible Insect Enthusiast/Medical Student

Asli Pekcan is a student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She was first introduced to edible insects by Aly Moore, the founder of Bugible, an insect advocacy platform. Inspired by the movement, she decided to volunteer with Bugible, writing articles, designing infographics, and developing recipes. Asli hopes to continue her journey in the bug world and share her passion with others throughout her future career in medicine.

One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater

One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater began in the fall of 2001 with a small suitcase show and the idea that even one tiny grain of sand can tilt the balance toward a more positive future. One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater includes puppetry artists, musicians, visual artists, actors, choreographers, educators and community organizers. We focus on very small portable shows and also very large puppets for festivals, pageants, community actions and parades.  The core of the work is sharing the ordinary/extraordinary stories of everyday people. The heart lies in building communities through puppet theatricals that explore cultural reclamation, ancient myth, connection to the earth, little known community stories and the issues of our time. 

To learn more about the One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater, visit their Instagram and Facebook.

Horticulture Team
The Museum has a dedicated staff of horticulturalists that oversee the care and maintenance of our gardens. The Nature Gardens has over 600 kinds of plants, including California natives and others from around the world, that are home to a variety of birds, butterflies, lizards, squirrels, and more! This amazing team enjoys sharing their love for horticulture and gardens with the local community.
Follow Nature Gardens on Instagram @nhmla_naturegardens

Living Collections
Did you know the museum has a team of professional animal keepers on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit and behind the scenes at the museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes. We have around 15-25 species of vertebrates, and 70-100 species of invertebrates at any given time.  
Follow Living Collections on Instagram @nhmla_liveanimals

Museum Educators

The Museum Educator team at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are the knowledgeable staff that enhance the visitor experience through personal interaction. Through research and training, Museum Educators create and facilitate educational programs for general museum visitors, for school groups, and for special events, both in-person and virtual.

Performing Arts

The team behind the Performing Arts department at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County creates live theatrical performances based on our exhibits, research, collections, and events. Learn more about this unique program HERE

Research and Collections
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. The Research and Collections Department is the research institution within the museums. They create new knowledge through academic scholarship in history and science. Visitors can get up close to these fascinating objects and specimens, which are sometimes displayed in exhibitions and during museum events. 

Meet the Emerald Cockroach:
 

 

Highlights from Bug Fair 2022!

Bug Fair 2022 - Entomology table display
Bug Fair 2022 - Live bug presentation (1)
Bug Fair 2022 - Butterfly walks
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug Band on stage
Bug Fair 2022 - Honey exhibitor
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug Fair exhibitor display
Bug Fair 2022 - Exhibitor hall with guests
Bug Fair 2022 - Tarantula exhibitor with a guest
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug pinning collections for sale
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug Fair exhibitor (2)
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug collection display case
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug crafts
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug chef demonstrations
Bug Fair 2022 - Live bug presentation (2)
Bug Fair 2022 - Bug Fair exhibitor (3)
Bug Fair 2022 - Live bugs for sale
Bug Fair 2022 - Live bug presentation (3)

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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. 

Sponsored by

Nickelodeon Science of Slime logo

Partner Organization

Pro Bono ASL Interpretation