If you love learning about hummingbirds, butterflies and other things with wings, you won’t want to miss Ijams Nature Center’s 11th annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival: Celebration of Wings, on Saturday, August 28, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This year’s outdoor festival features two tickets, a General Festival ticket and a Behind-the-Scenes Bundle, as well as activities that are free to the public. Free activities include live raptor demonstrations, educational materials for parents and families, and a marketplace featuring arts and crafts, plants, gardening décor, access to food and drink, and more on the Ijams Visitor Center plaza. The General Festival ticket includes all speaker sessions, a kids’ area with activities and educational booths, dipnetting and relaxed, guided nature walks from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children.
Hummingbird on native cardinal flower. Photo by Beth Kinnane.
The Behind-the-Scenes Bundle features all general festival activities, plus a bird banding appointment, community science opportunities, a chance to meet the Ijams animal ambassadors, and more detailed, guided hikes. Bird banding is scheduled in 30-minute appointments starting at 7 a.m.; the last appointment is 11:30 a.m. The bundle activities run from 7 a.m.-12 p.m. to allow attendees to enjoy general festival activities before or after they attend the bird banding demonstration. Bundle tickets are $12, and space is limited to ensure physical distancing.
The 11th annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival: Celebration of Wings is sponsored by Ergon Terminaling Inc., The Trust Company of Tennessee, WBIR-TV Channel 10, HomeTrust Bank, Stanley’s Greenhouse and Tennessee Wildlife Federation. More info here.
Go to OutdoorKnoxville.com to find other activities.
Amber Parker is executive director of Ijams Nature Center.