Celebrate 30 years of Butterfly Pavilion at Insectival: 30th Anniversary Bug Bash 

Get ready for the ultimate bug party! Butterfly Pavilion is turning 30, and we’re throwing a two-day festival to celebrate Insectival: 30th Anniversary Bug Bash. 

Our biggest and boldest summer event ever, this weekend-long festival honors the incredible world of invertebrates, animals without backbones, from butterflies and bees to spiders, scorpions, and millipedes. Taking place July 12–13, Insectival is the ultimate summer adventure for families, bug lovers, and curious minds of all ages to experience live music, immersive exhibits, educational workshops, a marketplace, firsthand animal encounters, and spine-tingling fun at one of Colorado’s summer event highlights! 

What to Expect 

Entertainment & Festival Fun 

• Live music and performers 

• Face painting, photo booths, games, and crafts 

• Local food trucks and a buzzing beer garden 

Up-Close Animal Encounters 

• Meet tarantulas, beetles, millipedes, and more 

• Cockroach races and butterfly releases 

• Animal feedings and behind-the-scenes garden tours 

Discover & Learn 

• Talks with invertebrate experts 

• Interactive science and conservation booths 

• Fun, hands-on learning for all ages 

This is more than a festival—it’s a chance to explore the wonders of nature, celebrate three decades of impact, and connect with the creatures that keep our world in balance. 

Buy Tickets

Bands:

Saturday July 12th  
Sinclair: Sinclair is a genre-blurring singer-songwriter whose sound merges pop instincts with raw vulnerability and vivid storytelling. A multi-instrumentalist inspired by the likes of The Beatles and Nick Drake, she’s toured with Kacey Musgraves and Daughtry.
Los Mocochetes: Los Mocochetes is a Xicano/Funk band that combines elements of cumbia, reggae, hip-hop, rock, funk, and more. Based in Denver, Colorado, they compose music to unite the gente and create revolutionary sounds you can dance to. 

Sunday July 13th
The Dollhouse Thieves: The Dollhouse Thieves is a multi-instrumental Denver project started by husband and wife team Niki and Luke Tredinnick that blends elements of neo-rock with indie-folk, using jazz-influenced vocals and unconventional instruments such as accordion, clarinet, and trombone.  
Virgi Dart: Virgi Dart, Colombian Recording Artist and singer known for her NuCumbia sound—a fusion of Latin American rhythms—has built a strong career in both Colombia and the U.S., performing with top artists and at major festivals.  

Food Trucks:

Saturday July 12th  
True Love Tacos:
Uptown & Humboldt

Sunday July 13th  
Yes Chef!
El Taco Bron

Programs: 

Saturday July 12th
1:00 – 1:30 p.m. – Charisma in Conservation
1:30 p.m. – Leafcutter Ant Feeding 
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. - Pollinator Protectors (Talk for families)
2:30 p.m. – Assassin Bug Feeding  
3:00 p.m. – Magnificent Mimics
3:30 p.m. – Butterfly Release
4:00 p.m. – Cockroach Race
4:30 p.m. – International Bees (Talk for adults)
5:00 p.m. – Garden Tour
5:30 p.m. – Leafcutter Ant Feeding
6:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Container Gardens for Pollinators
6:30 p.m. – Butterfly Release 

Sunday July 13th
1:00 – 1:30 p.m. – Great Bug Beauty Pageant
1:30 p.m. – Leafcutter Ant Feeding
2:00 – 2:30 p.m. – Beyond Bees and Butterflies (Talk for Families)
2:30 p.m. – Coral Reef Feeding
3:00 p.m. – Nature’s Color Wheel 
3:30 p.m. – Butterfly Release
4:00 p.m. – Cockroach Race
4:30 p.m. – Local Bees (Talk for Adults)
5:00 p.m. – Garden Tour
5:30 p.m. – Leafcutter Ant Feeding
6:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Pest Management in Pollinator Habitats
6:30 p.m. – Butterfly Release 

Why it Matters  

By attending Insectival, you help foster environmental stewardship and support the beauty and importance of invertebrates — animals without backbones which make up more than 97% of all animal species and are essential to life on Earth. From pollinating crops to cleaning waterways, these tiny heroes support entire ecosystems — yet they’re disappearing at alarming rates due to habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. For 30 years, Butterfly Pavilion has led the charge to protect invertebrates across Colorado and around the globe, through conservation science, public education, and groundbreaking research. Insectival 2025 is more than a celebration — it’s a movement, inviting the community to honor three decades of impact and join the fight for our planet’s smallest, mightiest animals. 

30 Years of Global Impact and Local Roots
Since opening its doors in 1995, Butterfly Pavilion has been dedicated to protecting the 97% of animal species that are often overlooked — invertebrates, creatures essential to pollination, soil health, food webs, and ecosystem health. Over the past three decades, the organization has evolved from a local treasure into a world-renowned conservation leader, with projects spanning Mexico, Mongolia, Tanzania, Indonesia, and across the United States. 

Key accomplishments include: 

• Habitat and species restoration for pollinators like monarchs, bees, and tarantulas. 

• Groundbreaking research on fireflies, tarantulas, dragonflies, and pollinators with partners such as Colorado State University. 

• Education programs reaching more than 106,000 students annually. 

• Community science and public engagement, including the Colorado Butterfly Monitoring Network. 

• Global conservation innovation — from urban prairie restoration in Colorado to sustainable butterfly farming in Sumatra and monarch habitat preservation in Mexico. 

Let’s celebrate where we’ve been—and where we’re going next. Learn More about our 30th anniversary here.

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this event and helping us celebrate invertebrates while sharing the wonders of all they do with YOU!

Can’t attend Insectival? You can still support our mission by donating today!