Nature Fest - Leap into Spring!
Celebrate springtime in the Sonoran Desert with family and friends! Discover our new interactive exhibit, enjoy live music, search for plants and animals, meet your neighbors, and so much more. Our grounds will be bursting with life and filled with fun!
When:
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Who:
Everyone!
Cost:
Included with Museum admission (8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
Purchase Tickets Now
Nature Fest Activities!
- 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Join the biodiversity party in full swing!
- Experience our newest interactive exhibit, Spadefoot Splash
- Find extra special educator-led activities for kids
- Meet the Tohono O'odham artists who made our beautiful new murals:
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Derrick Gonzales
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Dwayne Manuel
- Seneca Ortega
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Derrick Gonzales
- Experience our newest interactive exhibit, Spadefoot Splash
- BioBlitz with the Young Naturalists and add sightings to our iNaturalist Project
- Glow up with professional face painters
- Make your artistic mark by adding to a community project with our Art Institute
- Tap your toes to amazing local musicians
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Unified Field Theory jazz band
- 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School
- Laugh and learn at a special kid-focused theater program by Education staff
- 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Sonoran Animal Spotlight: Live Animal Theater Program with a twist
- Meet local organizations that celebrate diversity in all its forms
- Tucson Bee Collaborative
- Reid Park Zoo
- Children’s Museum Tucson
- Pima County Conservation Lands & Resources
- Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection
- Las Milpitas Community Farm
- Watershed Management Group
- Bobcats in Tucson
- Marine Awareness Conservation Society
- Arizona Youth Climate Coalition
- National Parks Conservation Association
- CEDO Intercultural
- La Tierra del Jaguar
- Enjoy Animal Enrichment
- 9:30 a.m. Reptiles and Invertebrates Exhibits
- 11:30 a.m. Ocelot Exhibit
- Join talks and walks highlighting the flora and fauna of the Museum
- 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. Bird Tour with Docents
- 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. Desert Discovery Tours with Docents
- 11:00 a.m. Cactus Walk with Docents
How Does The Bioblitz Work?
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Join the iNaturalist Project 2026 Desert Museum Nature Fest ยท iNaturalist and snap photos of Wild species during your Museum visit.
The rules: stay on the paths, respect other guests, and do not disturb plants, rocks, animals, or exhibits in your search for species. - Upload your photos to iNaturalist! We do have WiFi at the Museum, or you can wait and do this later at home.
- Win Prizes! Categories include: most species, most overall observations, and most identifications. Can’t get to the Museum? Participate by helping to ID photos! Winners will be contacted via their iNaturalist account by iNaturalist user: ksacco
- Previous Results by Year:
Helpful Hints!
- What’s Wild in a zoo? Any birds, insects, reptiles, or mammals you see outside an exhibit is Wild. For example, a cactus wren in our parking lot would count! Strawberry the Bear (while adorable) would not. Many of our plants are purposefully exhibited and labeled. A wild brittlebush on to the side of the path would count. A boojum (while remarkable) would not. Remember: if it has a label, it probably isn’t Wild.
- Use iNaturalist (or Seek for kids) before visiting the Museum. Try it out at home and familiarize yourself with the app. While iNaturalist is fairly intuitive, the app will make a lot more sense after a trial run.
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Make useful observations.
- Take identifiable photos. In-focus pictures that fill the frame are much easier to identify than animals in the distance.
- Take multiple photos from different angles. For plants, try to include the flower or fruit (if the season is right).
- Bring binoculars or field guides. Putting a smartphone camera up to a binocular lens can yield some great pictures!
Curious about your competition? Join the Facebook Event to see how many people are interested!
