Annual Festivals
Each year the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center hosts multiple events and festivals. Our events are fun and family-friendly. Beyond the regular day-use fee, there is no cost for the festival.
Nature in Winter – January
Nature in Winter takes place each January each year. The first part of the year is a great time to appreciate the changes that allow our plants, trees, and animals to survive the winter months. Festival activities take place both indoors and outside. Nature Center volunteers lead bird walks and nature walks. Wildlife Rescue volunteers display rescued birds (typically raptors and owls). In the Observation Room, Central New Mexico Audubon Society bird experts help with bird identification, and set up scopes for close-up looks at birds on or near the pond. Nature Center volunteers conduct kids’ activities in the Discovery Room. And in the Education Building guest experts give talks/presentations on a variety of stimulating nature-related topics. Please join us for some winter fun while learning more about nature during our colder months.
Herbfest – May
Herbfest is a two-day celebration of nature in Spring that takes place on Saturday and Sunday of Mother’s Day weekend (usually the second weekend of May). Herbs, vegetables, wildflowers, and native plants are offered for sale, along with arts and crafts. Visitors are entertained each day by local bands that volunteer their talents for this event. Educational speakers address topics pertaining to local plants and wildlife. Each day of the festival also includes guided bird walks, guided nature walks, crafts for kids, nonprofit booths, bird identification with the Central New Mexico Audubon Society, live birds from Wildlife Rescue, a biofacts table, and refreshments.
Summer Wings – August
Summer Wings is an annual festival that highlights the birds, bats, dragonflies, damselflies and other winged creatures found at the Rio Grande Nature Center. The festival also showcases Citizen Science activities by hosting the BioBlitz event in which participants look for and list as many species as possible of birds, mammals, insects, and plants. Held in early August each year, the festival sponsors a variety of speakers, guided bird walks and guided nature walks that are open to visitors of all ages.