Bats and Bluegrass Festival 2026
From 5 PM until 9 PM, or when the music stops!
What to Expect:
Conservation partners sharing their work
Nature hikes around the Sanctuary
Live bluegrass music from Sons of Otis Malone
Family-friendly activities
Local food trucks
Bats emerging at dusk!
Purchase Your Bats and Bluegrass Festival Ticket!
This event has SOLD OUT the past two years - secure your spot at this annual highlight!
History of the Bats & Bluegrass Festival
We can’t wait to host you again in 2026. All proceeds from this event directly support IRWP’s overhead costs, including the care and maintenance of the Watershed Learning Center and Sanctuary—ensuring it remains a low-cost, accessible venue for environmental programming, partner use, and community gatherings for years to come.
Bats and Bluegrass has long been IRWP’s signature celebration—a uniquely Ozark event where conservation meets culture. For years, it brought our community together to experience the magic of a special summer evening of education, live music, and the stunning natural phenomenon of bat emergence. As IRWP focused on boots-on-the-ground watershed work, and later navigated the impacts of COVID-19, the event took a pause.
In 2024, we relaunched Bats and Bluegrass—and it sold out. As dusk settled over the Watershed Sanctuary, guests relaxed under the stars with bluegrass humming in the background. Suddenly, flickers interrupted the night sky: the endangered gray bats, emerging by the hundreds from the cave they use as a maternity site on the property. It was a breathtaking reminder of what we’re all here to protect.
Want to help us make this the best Bats and Bluegrass Festival yet? Register to Volunteer!
Whether you are an individual or part of a corporate team, we want you with us!
Perks of Volunteering
Free admission – Enjoy the festival on us!
Photos of your experience – We’ll capture and share moments of you and your team in action.
Volunteer credit – Perfect for high school students needing service hours—we’re happy to verify your time!
Short shifts – Just a 2-hour rotation, leaving the rest of the evening free to explore and have fun.
Check out some of the fun we had at the 2025 Bats and Bluegrass Festival!
