Join us for the first annual Clarkia Festival, an all-day celebration of nature featuring live music, educational activities, food, vendors, and more. The Garden’s Clarkia Hill will be in full bloom, highlighting the diversity of the California native wildflowers represented in our new logo. Stop by to see these dazzling pink and purple flowers, and stick around to explore all that the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden’s Clarkia Festival has to offer!
Entry to the festival is free and open to the public. TICKETS NOT REQUIRED. RSVP NOT REQUIRED.
You are probably wondering how Garden activities will be impacted by the current events on campus. We are heartbroken by some of the incidents that have taken place on our campus. UCLA is dedicated to freedom of expression and to providing a safe environment for the entire UCLA community. The situation changes day to day, and we will monitor it closely. However, the campus is open and so is the Garden. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of all who come to the Garden.
With respect to the Clarkia Festival, we are carefully monitoring the situation and will make a final decision on Thursday, May 16th. Right now, our assumption is that the Festival will take place on Saturday, May 18th.
Get Involved
Volunteer at the Clarkia Festival! Email Chantal Ochoa-Clark (cochoaclark@g.ucla.edu) to learn about opportunities. It’s a great addition to your resume, plus volunteers can join us for pizza and tie-dyeing festival shirts!
Interactive Education with Community Partners
Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability
Pop-up nature library by UCLA Library
Family-friendly art activity at Jewell Terrace by Fowler Museum at UCLA
Programming
BioBlitz
Themed guided garden tours led by Bruin Birding Club and Bruin Beekeepers
Live music provided by artists affiliated with UCLA Radio
Science is Art: Nature Edition – art showcase hosted by UCLA Library
Environmentalist zine-making workshop by Common Experience at UCLA
Food & Shopping
Beer garden provided by Sunseri’s
Unravel at UCLA: sustainable clothing
Cabbage Hill Animal-Free Fertilizer
Golden Vintage 1: upcycled handmade baskets & home decor
UCLA Radio: upcycled screen printing – bring an old t-shirt!
Garden merchandise: Clarkia petal earrings, totes, water bottles, lanyards, stickers
More to come!
Special thanks to our sponsors: UCLA Life Sciences, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, The W Los Angeles, UCLA Health David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Extension, Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, Dental Views, Ralphs
Special thanks to our UCLA partners: Fowler Museum at UCLA, UCLA Radio, UCLA Library
We will release a full program with timed activities and an event map soon.
Parking
Free parking is available at Ralphs Westwood. The address is 10861 Weyburn Ave. From here, you can easily enter through the Garden’s Hilgard Gate (the southernmost gate). Alternatively, UCLA’s Parking Structure 2 has paid visitor parking spots. It is $10 all day on a weekend.
Clarkia flower art by Jewel Ocampo, @jewelsartbook
