Join us at the third annual Central Illinois Bat Festival — a free two-part celebration of bats, bugs, and science! This year, we’re celebrating backyard bugs and bats!

Kicking off at 1pm at Anita Purves Nature Center, explore vendor booths, food trucks, kids art activities, face painting, and thrilling talks from top bat experts. Then, flap over to Crystal Lake Park at 5:30 kick things off with our costume contest of epic proportions for all ages. And when the sun sets, witness a live demonstration of bats’ echolocation, on a live bat acoustic walk to hear and see real bats hunting for bugs under the stars!