Bird & Nature Festival 2026 — Free Family Event

Madison Parks will host its Bird & Nature Festival on Sunday, April 26, with free admission from noon to 4 p.m. at Warner Park and the Warner Park Community Recreation Center. (cityofmadison.com) The city lists the main indoor site as the Warner Park Community Recreation Center, 1625 Northport Drive, and says activities will also run outside near the rainbow shelter in Warner Park at 2930 North Sherman Avenue. (cityofmadison.com) Visitors can arrive anytime during the four-hour event, and Madison Parks says most visits will take 30 to 45 minutes. Restrooms and parking are free, and the event is open to all ages. (cityofmadison.com) The festival is timed to Madison’s spring slate of Bird City, Arbor Day and Earth Day programming. Madison Parks is also running its Earth Day Challenge on Saturday, April 25, with volunteer cleanup events in more than 50 parks across the city. (cityofmadison.com 1) (cityofmadison.com 2) The April 26 event mixes wildlife viewing with hands-on family programming. Madison Parks says Open Door Bird Sanctuary will bring live birds of prey, including a hawk and eagles, and the festival will also include live snakes and reptiles, kids face painting, free canoe paddling, free kids fishing, guided bird and nature walks, and telescope viewing of an eagle’s nest. (cityofmadison.com) The city says the first 200 children will get free kites, and attendees can also pick up native wildflower seed bombs. Food carts listed by Madison Parks include Bit of Brianna Tacos and El Pechu. (cityofmadison.com) A full afternoon of talks is scheduled inside the recreation center. The keynote runs from 1 to 2 p.m., when Alicia King of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology is set to speak on bird counting and citizen science, with later presentations on cranes, beavers, Ice Age geology, climate change and bats. (cityofmadison.com) Madison Parks says local groups taking part include the International Crane Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, Friends of Cherokee Marsh, Wild Warner and the University of Wisconsin Geology program. The city is also recruiting volunteers to help run the festival. (cityofmadison.com) For families looking for a short Sunday stop, the city’s pitch is simple: come anytime between noon and 4 p.m., see live birds up close, and move through exhibits, talks and outdoor activities at your own pace. (cityofmadison.com)