Conservancy of Southwest Florida Hosting Earth Day Festival

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is hosting its annual Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 18, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The first 300 people through the gate will receive a free gift to celebrate a milestone at this year’s festival.

The event will include a groundbreaking ceremony for the John and Carol Walter Nature Experience at 11:00 AM, marking a new chapter in how the community will experience, understand and protect the systems that sustain Southwest Florida’s way of life. Featuring new spaces, program offerings and continuously evolving, highly interactive exhibits, the John and Carol Walter Nature Experience will inspire individuals to take action and support the Conservancy’s critical mission to preserve Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future for generations to come.

The groundbreaking is part of the Conservancy’s Earth Day Festival programming, which features free, family-friendly activities including face painting, arts and crafts, games, Glen Beitman’s Super Science Show, boat rides, animal encounters, vendors, food trucks, a live performance by Moonstone Riders, and special presentations. The full schedule of events is available online at Conservancy.org/EarthDay.

“The Earth Day Festival allows us to showcase our vital work to protect Southwest Florida’s natural resources to the hundreds of community members and educate them about how they can be part of that mission,” said Conservancy President and CEO Rob Moher. “This year, we’re especially excited to break ground on the transformational John & Carol Nature Experience, which will offer an entirely new way for guests to connect with nature through immersive new spaces.”

The Earth Day Festival was voted Best Local Event in Naples by the Community’s Choice Awards, and admission is free. The event will take place on the Conservancy campus and at the Nature Center, located at 1495 Smith Preserve Way in Naples.

Festival attendees can also connect with several of the Conservancy’s environmental partners and local vendors. Organizations including Naples Botanical Garden, Naples Zoo, Big Cypress National Preserve, Captains for Clean Water, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, and the Great Canoe Races of Naples will be on site alongside vendors offering a variety of products, including treats from Nothing Bundt Cakes and locally grown goods from Stropharia Mushroom Farm.

For more information on the Earth Day Festival, including a schedule of presentations and a full list of vendors, visit Conservancy.org/EarthDay.