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Press Release

Bama Bug Fest Returns In-Person at New Location

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Bama Bug Fest will return in-person to celebrate the diversity and benefits of arthropods at the Alabama Museum of Natural History April 9.

What hatched as a small nature-themed museum event a few years ago has metamorphosed into the Bama Bug Fest, a community celebration of “bugs.” What the public calls “bugs” are more properly known as arthropods, a group that makes up three-quarters of all animal species on Earth.

Since “bugs” are often maligned in society, the event serves as an important opportunity to educate the public about the important roles these creatures serve in our world, and to celebrate the amazing diversity of arthropods that can be found in Alabama.

The free event from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. will showcase the multitude of arthropods, which includes insects, arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans, as well as true bugs like cicadas and plant-hoppers.

Bama Bug Fest attendees can enjoy seeing insects create works of art, cheering on cockroaches at the tractor pull races, attending story time with the Tuscaloosa Public Library and participating in fun activities at educational tables. Food trucks will also be on-site.

Bug enthusiasts can enter an online contest to name two tarantulas, a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula and Texas Brown Tarantula, in the Alabama Museum of Natural History Bug Room. To view the rules and submit a name, visit the Bama Bug Fest website.

For more information about the event, parking, and things to do, visit the Bama Bug Fest website.

The Alabama Museum of Natural History is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located inside Smith Hall at The University of Alabama.

Contacts

Kendra Abbott
(205) 348-9482
kabbott3@ua.edu

Dr. John Friel, Director of the Alabama Museum of Natural History
(205) 348-2136
jpfriel@ua.edu

For more than 150 years, the Alabama Museum of Natural History has celebrated Alabama’s natural history through exhibitions, collections, and quality programs of teaching, research, and service. 

The University of Alabama Museums, a division of the College of Arts and Sciences that encompasses five museums, two research departments, and the Emmy-winning Discovering Alabama television program.

News Coverage

• Bama Bug Fest highlights the importance of insects (The Crimson White – April 20, 2022)
• Photos of Bama Bug Fest 2022 (Tuscaloosa News – April 11, 2022)
• Alabama Museum of Natural History hosting return of Bama Bug Fest (Alabama Public Radio – April 8, 2022)
• Bama Bug Fest Crawls Back to Tuscaloosa This Weekend (WVUA23 – April 6, 2022)
• Good Day Alabama (WBRC – April 6, 2022)
• What’s bugging you, Tuscaloosa? Free event celebrates nature’s creepy-crawlies (Tuscaloosa News – April 4, 2022)

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