🌿 Fifth Annual Newton Monarch Festival

📅 Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

📍 Location: Wellington Park, West Newton

🌧 Rain Date: Sunday, September 14, 2025

Get ready for a morning of family fun and monarch magic! The Fifth Annual Newton Monarch Festival is fluttering back into Wellington Park for a community celebration of butterflies, nature, and pollinators. This free event is perfect for all ages—especially kids who love exploring the wonders of nature.

🦋 Festival Highlights

Live Monarch Encounters – See monarchs at every stage of life: eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies. Don’t miss the chance to witness a live release!
Butterfly Garden Tours – Explore Wellington Park’s pollinator gardens, filled with native milkweed and nectar plants essential for monarch survival.
Kids’ Zone – Butterfly-themed games, crafts, and coloring activities provided by Newton Parks, Recreation & Culture.
Milkweed Exchange – Share extra seeds, plants, or pods. Please label your contributions (e.g., Common, Swamp, or Butterfly Milkweed). Planting tips provided!
Expert Insights – Learn from local monarch experts who manage official Monarch Waystations and raise butterflies for education.
Meet the Artist – View the giant monarch butterfly artwork by Jenn Houle (Newton Cultural Development’s Flutter Project) and hear about her mission to support monarch habitats through art.
Prize Drawings – Registered attendees will be entered to win butterfly-themed prizes!

🌱 Why Milkweed Matters

Monarch butterflies rely exclusively on milkweed for survival—it’s the only plant where they lay their eggs, and the sole food source for their caterpillars. Planting native milkweed is one of the most powerful ways to help monarchs thrive. Free plants and seeds will be available at the festival to get you started.

🎟 Attendance

The festival is FREE!

We encourage you to register to receive important weather-related updates and information about future pollinator events.

🚗 Directions & Parking

Wellington Park is located a few blocks north of West Newton Square, with entrances on Kilburn Road and Princess Road (near Princess & Lindbergh Ave.)

Parking permitted only on the southbound side of Kilburn Road.
Additional parking available on nearby streets: Henshaw Street, Henshaw Place, Henshaw Terrace, Lindbergh Avenue, Southgate Park, Northgate Park, and Byrd Avenue.
Please be courteous to neighbors and park on the same side as other cars.