The Monarch Festival at Wellington Park is a free community event designed for all ages, especially children with a natural curiosity about butterflies and the wonders of nature.

The festival offers a unique opportunity to learn about monarchs and discover ways to help protect them.

What to Expect:

• Live Monarch Encounters: See monarchs up close in every stage of their life cycle—from tiny eggs and hungry caterpillars to fascinating chrysalises and newly emerged adult butterflies. Live releases will also take place during the festival.

• Butterfly Garden Tours: Explore Wellington Park’s vibrant gardens, featuring native milkweed and other pollinator-friendly plants essential for monarch survival.

• Kids’ Zone: The Newton Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department will provide butterfly-themed games, activities, arts and crafts, and coloring sheets for young festivalgoers.

• Milkweed Exchange: Attendees are invited to bring extra native milkweed seeds, plants, or seed pods to share, labeled by type (such as Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, or Butterfly Milkweed). Planting instructions and guidelines will be available.

• Expert Insights: Local monarch experts who maintain official Monarch Waystations and raise monarchs for educational purposes will be on-site to share tips for attracting pollinators to home gardens.

• Meet the Artist: The festival will showcase a giant painted monarch butterfly created by artist Jenn Houle for Newton Cultural Development’s Flutter Project. Houle will be present to discuss her work and her dedication to promoting monarch habitats through art.

• Prize Drawings: Registered attendees will have the chance to win butterfly-related prizes.

Why Milkweed Matters:
Monarch butterflies rely exclusively on milkweed for survival, laying their eggs only on milkweed plants. Caterpillars feed on the leaves before transforming into a chrysalis. To support monarchs, festival organizers encourage planting New England native varieties such as Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, or Butterfly Milkweed. Free milkweed plants and seeds will be available at the festival to help attendees get started.