Celebrate 30 years of Butterfly Pavilion at Insectival: 30th Anniversary Bug Bash

Get ready for the ultimate bug party! Butterfly Pavilion is turning 30, and we’re throwing a two-day festival to celebrate Insectival: 30th Anniversary Bug Bash.

Our biggest and boldest summer event ever, this weekend-long festival honors the incredible world of invertebrates, animals without backbones, from butterflies and bees to spiders, scorpions, and millipedes. Taking place July 12–13, Insectival is the ultimate summer adventure for families, bug lovers, and curious minds of all ages to experience live music, immersive exhibits, educational workshops, a marketplace, firsthand animal encounters, and spine-tingling fun at one of Colorado’s summer event highlights!

What to Expect
Entertainment & Festival Fun

Live music and performers
Face painting, photo booths, games, and crafts
Local food trucks and a buzzing beer garden
Up-Close Animal Encounters

Meet tarantulas, beetles, millipedes, and more
Cockroach races and butterfly releases
Animal feedings and behind-the-scenes garden tours
Discover & Learn

Talks with invertebrate experts
Interactive science and conservation booths
Fun, hands-on learning for all ages
This is more than a festival—it’s a chance to explore the wonders of nature, celebrate three decades of impact, and connect with the creatures that keep our world in balance.

Bands:
Saturday July 12th
Sinclair: Sinclair is a genre-blurring singer-songwriter whose sound merges pop instincts with raw vulnerability and vivid storytelling. A multi-instrumentalist inspired by the likes of The Beatles and Nick Drake, she’s toured with Kacey Musgraves and Daughtry.
Los Mocochetes: Los Mocochetes is a Xicano/Funk band that combines elements of cumbia, reggae, hip-hop, rock, funk, and more. Based in Denver, Colorado, they compose music to unite the gente and create revolutionary sounds you can dance to.

Sunday July 13th
The Dollhouse Thieves: The Dollhouse Thieves is a multi-instrumental Denver project started by husband and wife team Niki and Luke Tredinnick that blends elements of neo-rock with indie-folk, using jazz-influenced vocals and unconventional instruments such as accordion, clarinet, and trombone.
Virgi Dart: Virgi Dart, Colombian Recording Artist and singer known for her NuCumbia sound—a fusion of Latin American rhythms—has built a strong career in both Colombia and the U.S., performing with top artists and at major festivals.

Why it Matters
By attending Insectival, you help foster environmental stewardship and support the beauty and importance of invertebrates — animals without backbones which make up more than 97% of all animal species and are essential to life on Earth. From pollinating crops to cleaning waterways, these tiny heroes support entire ecosystems — yet they’re disappearing at alarming rates due to habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. For 30 years, Butterfly Pavilion has led the charge to protect invertebrates across Colorado and around the globe, through conservation science, public education, and groundbreaking research. Insectival 2025 is more than a celebration — it’s a movement, inviting the community to honor three decades of impact and join the fight for our planet’s smallest, mightiest animals.