Join Colonial Gardens for our annual release of butterflies! The event is free to attend with no tickets required. Release reservations allows the purchaser a butterfly to release during one of the four release times. Reservations go live 9am on July 1st.
Witness hundreds of butterflies floating on the wind! Wander through manicured gardens, visit local artisans, and learn about an amazing pollinator and how we can help them. Join us for Colonial Gardens' annual Butterfly Festival and experience all this and more!
This year, we will be releasing hundreds of butterflies, typically monarch butterflies. All guests are welcome to learn about these magnificent creatures, their lives and their threats during our seminars, patronize our local crafters, and enjoy the gardens. Those folks who make a reservation will have the opportunity to release a butterfly during one of our mass releases.
There are four mass release opportunities. Each reservation entitles you to release one butterfly at the timeslot you select: 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, or 4PM. If you do not wish to release a butterfly, you may attend the event for free, without a reservation or ticket.
The event also includes:
- Local artisans, vendors, and nonprofits
- Four educational seminars about monarch butterflies
- Lush, beautiful gardens to wander
- Native and pollinator-friendly plants for purchase
- Hayrides through our woods for $5/person
Because this event is outdoors, we do have a rain date of Sunday, August 25th. We will announce the change in date the morning of the event and alert all guests with reservations via email. For the safety of the butterflies, we will only exercise this option if there is predicted steady rain throughout the event and the forecast is improved for Sunday.
This event is pet-friendly, so long as dogs are leashed, friendly, and cleaned up after. In an effort to protect little lungs, we ask that there is no smoking on grounds.
IN CASE BUTTERFLIES SELL OUT: If any reservations are canceled, those reservations will become available again on the website. We will not have a wait list. If a new batch of additional butterflies become available for release, they will be added to this ticketing platform in the weeks leading up to the festival. Please NEVER purchase a ticket from someone on social media or someone you don't know personally to avoid scams. We cannot honor fake tickets. If you would like to be emailed in case a new batch of butterflies become available, please sign up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hTnfab
Accessibility Information: This event is outdoors with stony paths leading to most areas. Unfortunately, these pathways can be challenging for many people who use wheelchairs and walkers. All areas are accessible by stairs or ramps. The entire event is set over several acres and is entirely outdoors. It is subject to weather conditions like heat and rain. Some areas may become crowded, but there are plenty of quieter corners for those sensitive to larger groups and noises. Hayrides include climbing a short set of stairs to enter the wagon. If you need special accommodations, please call 610-948-9755 so that we can discuss how we can best accommodate you.
Refund Policy: We are able to refund the cost of your reservation, excluding all service and processing fees, up until the day prior to the event. Colonial Gardens only receives $10 per reservation and is only able to refund that amount back to the patron. If you need to move your reservation to a different time, or wish to cancel, please call 610-948-9755. If the event is canceled due weather, all reservations will be refunded, excluding all service and processing fees. Moving the date to the rain date does not constitute a cancellation. Do not attempt to resell your butterfly via social media. Due to the prevalence of scammers, we will take down any posts advertising resale of butterflies for our event.
Late Procedure: If you know in advance that you will be late for your release, please contact us at 610-948-9755 so we can work with you. If we anticipate you being at a release and you are more than 10 minutes late, your butterfly will be released without you. Waiting longer would risk the survival of the butterfly. No refunds will be issued for missing your release.
Butterfly Disclaimer: Extreme weather events impact the populations of butterflies grown on butterfly farms, which may impact the ability for us to run our release. To mitigate this possibility, we have chosen to source our butterflies from multiple sources, with some substitutions of species possible. If butterflies become unavailable for any reason, reservation holders will receive an email and a refund of the face value of their butterfly reservation.
Reservations may be canceled at any point up until the day before the event: Friday, August 23rd. Cancelled reservations are entitled to a refund for the price of their reservation. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds for processing and service fees. No refunds will be issued for guests who miss the event or arrive more than 10 minutes late for their release, due to the health of the butterflies.
745 Schuylkill Road
Phoenixville, PA 19460
