Ijams Nature Center’s 14th annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival: A Celebration of Wings will bring back its popular marketplace and add new activities to its offerings on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A general admission ticket provides access to educational booths and activities, dipnetting, live animal encounters, and a kids’ nature zone where children and families can create arts projects and crafts, conduct experiments, and more. Community science opportunities, guided nature walks, and new hands-on workshops also will be offered.
This year’s festival also brings back the marketplace featuring handcrafted art, nature-themed items, local plants, and garden décor, as well as speaker sessions.
“This year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever,” Ijams Education Director Jennie McGuigan said. “We’re excited to be able to offer the marketplace and speaker sessions. They were a big draw before the pandemic, and I think everyone will have fun during the new hands-on educational workshops.”
Attendees can choose to schedule a bird banding demonstration for an additional charge. Each small group will get the opportunity for an up-close look at a hummingbird or another bird in a small-group setting with master bander Mark Armstrong. Armstrong will weigh, measure, band, and talk about the birds before allowing one person in each group to release the bird.
Bird banding demonstrations are offered in 30-minute sessions starting at 7 a.m.; the last appointment is 12 p.m. Your best chance to see a ruby-throated hummingbird being banded is during the earlier appointments.
General admission tickets are $12 for adults (ages 13+) and $9 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 are free. Ijams Nature Center members receive a 10% discount on the festival ticket price.
Bird banding sessions can be reserved for $5 per person. If appointments are still available on the day of the festival, tickets will be sold at the event entrance at the Ijams Homesite.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the festival, visit Ijams.org/ijams-hummingbird-festival.
The 14th annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival: A Celebration of Wings is sponsored by Accenture, HomeTrust Bank, Stanley’s Greenhouse, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and Wild Birds Unlimited Maryville.
Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit, 318-acre educational nature center for all ages, abilities and walks of life. Ijams’ mission is to encourage stewardship of the natural world by providing an urban greenspace for people to learn about and enjoy the outdoors through engaging experiences. Located just three miles from downtown Knoxville, Ijams features 14 miles of hiking and mixed-use trails, a public access river dock, swimming, boating, biking, and more. The center offers hundreds of educational programs annually for all ages. The Ijams grounds and trails are open every day from 8 a.m. until dusk. The Visitor Center is open daily Monday through Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit Ijams.org.
Annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival Features More Activities, New Format Aug. 17
Ijams Nature Center’s 14th annual Ijams Hummingbird Festival: A Celebration of Wings will bring back its popular marketplace and add new activities to its offerings on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.