Bug Fair
Date
Saturday, May 16–Sunday, May 17 | 10 am–5 pm
Location
Tickets
Ticket links are below
Free with paid Museum admission and to Members
Members receive exclusive access from 9–10 am. Join today!
Bug Fair 2026
Choose your festival date.
Over one million species. Only one Bug Fair.
Fly over to NHM on May 16 & 17 for our 40th annual Bug Fair, NHM's two-day fan-favorite festival celebrating our bug-eyed and multi-legged friends! Experience up-close encounters with crawly creatures; gain a deeper appreciation for insects, their ecosystems and their impact on our planet; get hands-on and crafty with interactive activities, and so much more! Also, while you’re there, bee sure to visit a variety of exhibitors who will be displaying and selling everything from exotic insect collections to amazing bug-related products.
#NHMLA #BugFair
Bug Fair 2026 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 Programs
- Welcome Tables: Great location for all Bug Fair info!
- Bugtopia
- Origami Bugs
- First Aid station
Commons Theater
11 am & 1:45 pm | Dinosaur Encounters
Explore the wonders of paleontology in a newly reimagined live theater experience where dinosaurs come to life through multimedia storytelling and large-scale puppets.
*Additional paid admission is required. *Great for kids!
12 pm | T. REX 3D Film
Don't miss this captivating science adventure celebrating the greatest of all tyrants!
*Additional paid admission is required.
12:45 pm | Oceans 3D: Our Blue Planet Film
From the coastal shallows to deeper, more mysterious worlds, discover spectacular stories from life beneath the waves.
*Additional paid admission is required.
3 pm & 4 pm: “Secrets of the Bees” Screening
This series from National Geographic uncovers the hidden world of bees, revealing their vital role in pollinating the world’s food and their astonishing intelligence.
*Free with Bug Fair admission. Seating available on a first come, first served basis.
Timed Programs/Activities
10 am–2 pm | LEGO® Build the Change: Protecting Pollinators
We have the power to make change for our planet and the creatures we share it with. Use your imagination, creativity, and LEGO to build solutions that help pollinators thrive! *Great for kids!
11 am–3 pm | From Plants to Pollinators: Exploring Butterflies & Moths
Join the NHM Horticulture Team to explore local butterflies and moths, learn about host plant species and participate in a fun coloring activity. *Great for kids!
11:45 am & 12:45 pm | Giant Bee
Thank you to the pollinators! Enjoy this giant bee puppet and its four puppeteers bringing it to flight! *Great for kids!
3–5 pm | Bug Pinning Activity
Learn to pin your very own bug!
*Suitable for ages 10+ due to sharp tools involved. While supplies last.
Stage Presentations
*ASL interpretation will be available for all stage programs. *All great for kids!
10:30 am | Lola and the Bees
Join Lola as she journeys first into the world of honeybees and then into the wider world of native bees. Based on a true story, this tiny but mighty puppet show with live music invites us to enjoy the magical and essential world and works of bees.
11:30 am | This Science Will Blow Your Mind
Have you ever heard of a spider being turned into a useful robot? Or a real-life planetary defense team protecting the Earth from asteroids? Sounds like science fiction … but it’s not! Take a wild ride with Maynard Okereke, the Hip Hop MD, into some of the most fascinating and strange corners of scientific research!
1 pm | Curious about the future of food?
Join Aly Moore of Bugible for a tasty crash course in entomophagy — the practice of eating insects. Discover why bugs are a sustainable, protein-packed snack enjoyed around the world, and stick around to try a bite (if you dare)! Samples available while supplies last.
2 pm | Bug Power: From Super Strength to Web Slinging
Superpowers aren’t just for the movies! Take a closer look at the extraordinary abilities of bugs and discover how humans have harnessed them for our own technologies and inventions.
3 pm | Meet Some Baby Bugs!
All animals start off as babies, and some need special care and attention to grow up healthy and happy. Come learn about the baby bugs in our Living Collections, and see the amazing ways they transform as they grow!
Display Tables
9 am–5 pm | Bug Care 101
Check out these care tips before taking home your new bug pet!
9 am–5 pm | Museum Collections
Chat with members of our Entomology Collections department and learn about the bugs they study.
9 am–5 pm | Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District
Presenting interactive and educational experiences focused on mosquitoes, their public health impact, and how residents can take action to reduce mosquito activity in their homes and communities.
11 am–4 pm | LA Compost – Saturday Only
Explore live compost critters under the microscope to discover how decomposers create healthy soils and thriving communities!
Learn more about Bug Fair participants!
Aly Moore - Bugible
After studying public health at Yale, Aly started blogging about the nascent ‘insect industry’ on Bugible.com. Over the years, Bugible’s work has evolved to include advocacy, education, event hosting, and working with companies restoring insects to our food system. She’s featured 90+ times in media, including Forbes, Bill Nye, LA Times, and even her own network cooking show. Moore is here to replace fear of the unknown with curiosity to explore - to open minds and mouths to a more sustainable, nutritious, delicious, and biodiverse future.
Maynard Okereke, Science Communicator
Maynard Okereke, aka the Hip Hop MD, is an award-winning science communicator, STEM personality, and keynote speaker. He founded Hip Hop Science to encourage minorities and youth to pursue more advanced careers in STEM. Okereke has won the Asteroid Award for Best Streaming Content, The National Society of Black Engineers’ Entrepreneur of the Year, and named on Ebony Magazine's Top 100 List. He’s been featured on Netflix’s Ada Twist Scientist, The Science Channel, and Curiosity Stream, and in Scientific American. He has also partnered with NASA, the Natural History Museum, the Boston Museum of Science, the LaBrea Tar Pits, Blue Origin, Microsoft, and NVIDIA. Okereke lives in Los Angeles, CA and is online at hiphopscienceshow.com.
Stephanie Dole, Owner & Entomologist, Beetlelady
Stephanie Dole, PhD, known as the Beetlelady, is an entomologist who captivates audiences of all ages with her enthusiasm and knowledge of insects. She brings the world of bugs to life through engaging, hands-on educational class and experiences, such as her Pop-Up Bug Museum.
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.
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 previous Bug Fairs!
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