September 19–20, 2026

Get ready for a weekend of bugs, biodiversity, fossils, sustainability, and hands-on discovery! South Jersey GreenFest celebrates the incredible world of invertebrates and the important role they play in our ecosystems…past and present.

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🍃🌙 Friday Night Kick off

Free Outdoor Event | Friday, September 18th | 7pm

Kick off South Jersey Greenfest with an evening of insects, moths, and moonlight! Join entomologist Dan Duran at 7pm in the EFM Theater for a discussion: Cultivating Respect for Insects, followed by Moths in the Moonlight: an after-dark exploration of what wakes up when the sun goes down.

🪲 On the Ground: Watch as we use a special light and white sheet to attract moths, beetles, and other night-loving insects. Get an up-close look at the incredible colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes of species that are usually hidden in the darkness—and learn what makes these nighttime creatures so fascinating.

🔭 In the Sky: Turn your eyes from tiny wings to the night sky! Our planetarium team will have telescopes trained on the moon, giving you the chance to explore lunar craters and other features up close.

Come curious and ask our astronomers and entomologists anything! It’s a night of discovery from the smallest creatures on the ground to the wonders of the sky above.

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🪲 World of Bugs

Included with Museum Admission | 10am-5pm | Saturday & Sunday

Step into the fascinating world of invertebrates at World of Bugs! From living insects and arachnids to fossils of prehistoric creatures that once lived in ancient New Jersey seas, discover how these small but mighty animals have shaped life on Earth for hundreds of millions of years.

Explore live bug encounters, prehistoric fossils, roach races, bug walks, specimen investigations, hands-on crafts, and bug cooking demonstrations. Along the way, learn why invertebrates are essential to healthy ecosystems and how studying their past can help us understand biodiversity, extinction, climate change, and the future of our planet.

Come discover how the smallest creatures can tell some of the biggest stories about our planet, and how studying the past can help us protect its future!

Meet the “Bug Chef” at GreenFest!

Get ready to crunch, learn, and explore with New Orleans’ famous “Bug Chef” Zack Lemann at GreenFest.An entomologist, educator, and TV personality, Zack has introduced audiences around the world to the surprising world of edible insects. Watch real insect-cooking demonstrations, sample unique creations like Crispy Cajun Crickets, and discover how insects can play a big role in biodiversity, food security, and a more sustainable future.

The dishes we will be making & serving up:

CHOCOLATE CHIRP COOKIES

Not a typo! These cookies do have chips, but the name comes from the addition of...crickets! What a perfect introduction to eating insects. Everyone loves cookies, and roasted crickets add a nutty flavor that makes these a fantastic treat.

CRISPY CAJUN CRICKETS

Crickets taste pretty good even without wonderful Cajun seasoning. But add some spices, and you have a snack that you'll eat just like barbequed sunflower seeds. So good!

RED BEANS AND YIKES

Nothing really to say "yikes" about here. Just a classic red beans and rice recipe in which the rice has been replaced by a yummy, poached caterpillar. An edible insect dish with inspiration from the Deep South, where everything's tasty (even if it's different).

ODONATE HORS D'OEUVRES

Bug chef Zack Lemann shines with this dish: lightly fried wild-caught dragonflies on a slice of sauteed mushroom and a drizzle of Dijon-soy butter. It's a one-bite taste of bug that excites everybody's palate!

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🌿 BioBlitz

presented by the Green Jobs Academy at Rowan University

Free Outdoor Event | Saturday & Sunday | 10am-5pm

How many species can we find at the Fossil Park? Join our BioBlitz and become a citizen scientist for the weekend! Explore the Museum grounds, gardens, and Nature Trail while searching for and documenting the plants, insects, animals, and other organisms that call EFM home.

Whether you're a seasoned nature enthusiast or just curious about what lives in your own backyard, the BioBlitz is a fun, hands-on way to discover local biodiversity and learn how scientists observe and document the natural world.

Birds BioBlitz on Saturday, September 19, 12:00pm -4:00pm

Presented by the Flight Club at Rowan University.

Join us to learn how birding and biodiversity monitoring can serve as accessible entry points into environmental and sustainability careers. Enjoy discovering new ways to identify birds you might encounter in your daily outings, and how you could turn these observations into citizen science.

You can also participate in a non-invasive study exploring how purposive nature-based activities may lower your body’s stress levels (using saliva-based cortisol test strips).

Flight Club lead researchers Dr. Olga Vilceanu and Dr. Jerry Hough (Rowan University).

Study participants receive a raffle ticket toward winning gear for birding and other nature-based activities. Raffle held at 4:00 p.m. and winners must be present to win as all surveys are anonymous.

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⚡ Saturday, September 19: Electric Vehicle Car Show

Presented by Cloud10

Free Outdoor Event | Saturday, September 19th | 10am-2pm

Make your Saturday even more sustainable with our EV Car Show! Check out electric vehicles, local EV dealerships, sustainability partners, and family-friendly activities outside the Museum.

LEARN MORE

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World of Bugs is included with Museum admission. BioBlitz and EV Car Show are free outdoor events.