Butterfly Releases

Witness the thrill of a live butterfly release including swallowtail butterflies! Butterfly releases occur at 10 AM and 12:30 PM on Saturday and at 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM on Sunday.

Butterfly Crafts and Face Painting

We have crafts for everyone! Come visit us in Kingfisher Hall as we make antennas for the kids to wear, flower straws to drink from, and more! Kids can get their faces painted with beautiful butterflies!

NEW THIS YEAR! Lanie™s Nature Activity Day

Celebrate the wonders of nature and the fun of gardening with Lanie®, American Girl Doll’s 2010 Girl of the Year®! Your girl can get started by sprouting her very own mini garden in a seed-starter cup. She can also make a cute seed label for her mini garden and enjoy a garden-themed scavenger hunt, plus other fun activities. Free and open to the public.

Butterfly Costume Parade

Come with your very best butterfly wings on or antenna and join us for our butterfly parade at the end of festival each day with grand marshal Ms. Chrysalis!

Pollinator & Scavenger Hunt

Travel through the butterfly garden to find clues about pollinators that you will find at CNC! Complete the scavenger hunt to win points in the Nature Exchange!

Butterfly Sidewalk Art & Fairy House Construction

Butterflies provide the perfect inspiration for our on-going art project.  Create a “butterfly path” from the Ben Brady Lakeside Pavilion all the way to the “fairy village!”

NEW THIS YEAR! Fairies are among us. Stop by the free play area and build a fairy house or gnome home during the Butterfly Festival. Fairy houses and gnome homes are made from nature objects for real and imaginary creatures. Nature materials provided; bring your imagination. One house per family please.

Entertainment for the Entire Family

Saturday will have you laughing, singing, and sharing stories with Andy Offut Irwin and his Environmental Epic Show! Kids of all ages will have fun meeting a piece of talking fruit, a cricket that lives in the kudzu and bullfrog tadpoles yearning to break free from a pickle jar!

On Sunday, Mr. Greg’s Musical Madness is back by popular demand! Mr. Greg brings fun, interactive music to get your toes tapping. Shows are an interactive sing-along celebration where everyone is invited to participate!

Exhibitors and Vendors

NEW Participants: Join CNC, UGA Museum of Natural History, The Bee Project, National Park Service, American Chestnut Foundation, Georgia Nature Photography Association, Amana Academy, and Metro Atlanta Beekeepers to learn more about the amazing insects that call Georgia home!

NEW THIS YEAR! Get Flying!

Our friends at Atlanta Dance Central will have you moving like a butterfly through mini creative dance activities! Learn to “fly” and learn basic dance and motor skills that will develop balance and coordination for young children. 

NEW THIS YEAR! Programs in Spanish!

Come hear about the importance of pollinators, the threats they face today, and what you can do to support them! Ven para aprender sobre la importancia de los polanizadores, lo que los amenaza actualmente, y lo que puedes hacer para apoyarlos.

Plant Sale

Find the perfect host plants and nectar plants to take home to your garden to attract butterflies to your backyard!

Food for the Family

Make the festival an all day event!  We will be selling a variety of food to keep you going!  Cool off with Italian Ices from Brusters! Choose your favorite flavor to enjoy! A portion of the proceeds to benefit CNC! We will be selling popsicles, drinks, and snacks around the property.

For lunch – try some food from Barberitos! Enjoy soft tacos (vegetarian option available), chips, and salsa! A big thanks to Barberitos for providing lunches for all of our volunteers. Need some snacks? We will have kettle corn available as well as drinks throughout the property to keep you full and hydrated! Cash only for food concessions (we do not have an ATM on-site.)

For more information on the festival contact Rebecca at 770-992-2055 ext. 236 or Email

Exhibitor and Vendor Information

• Interested in participating as an exhibitor or vendor? Download an Application HERE
  

“Parking is available in the CNC parking lot until full.  Space is limited so please carpool or ride your bike!  Additional parking will be available at the St. Francis School on Willeo Road jus south of Hwy 120 or at the Mills on Roswell Road just east of the square at Hwy 120.  A free shuttle bus service will be provided for your convenience.”