Events
April 25, 2025
Raleigh Earth Day and
Arbor Day Celebration
Celebrate trees and the natural environment at this fun-filled festival, hosted every year in partnership with the City of Raleigh!
Join us for 2025’s
Raleigh Earth Day
and Arbor Day Celebration
Event details
Date and time:
April 25, 2025
4:00pm - 10:00pm EST
Address:
Dorothea Dix Park (map)
747 Dawkins Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603
Click here for parking
Live stream:
Click here to learn more
Click here to watch on YouTube
Admission:
Free
We Plant it Forward is proud to host this year’s Raleigh Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration in partnership with the City of Raleigh!
This fun-filled annual festival is a call to celebrate trees and create a sense of community purpose toward the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.
Join us for family-friendly activities, live entertainment, food trucks, a movie in the park, and so much more! This is also a great chance to get involved, with plenty of ways to volunteer, including group volunteer opportunities for schools and businesses!
Watch the festival online!
If you are unable to join us in person, this event will be streamed live by the Raleigh Television Network (RTN).
To tune in, click here and scroll down to the “Upcoming Events” table, then look for “City of Raleigh Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration 2025.” The live stream link will appear on Friday, April 25 at 5:15pm!
It will also be available to watch live on YouTube.
Featured attractions
From exciting performances to delicious eats, there is so much to look forward to at this year’s Raleigh Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration. Start planning your day by exploring our scheduled demonstrations, entertainment, and vendors!
Live demonstrations
Get ready for a full day of creativity, connection, and celebration! This year’s festival features a unique lineup of activities and performances for all ages. There will be something for everyone to enjoy!
Demonstrations begin at 4:00pm an the Demonstration Stage.
Rain Barrel Making Demonstration
4:00pm
Susan Jones from Lake Crabtree County Park will demonstrate how to make your own DIY rain barrel from scratch, so that you can start your own water conservation efforts at home!
Nature ID
4:15pm
Participate in a mini BioBlitz at Flowers Field led by DragonFly Nature Programs. Learn about the City Nature Challenge and how to use the free iNaturalist App, then see what plants and wildlife we can find as we explore nature nearby. Participants will leave with everything they need to know to share what they find in nature with other iNaturalist users and the 2025 City Nature Challenge project.
Soil Health
4:30pm
Leaf & Limb will demonstrate the difference between lifeless dirt and living, vibrant soil—and explore practical ways to restore and maintain soil health in your own yard or garden.
Fundamentals of Tree Care: A Walk with an Arborist
5:00pm
Walk around Chavis Park with an ISA Certified Arborist/Treecologist from Leaf & Limb for an interactive learning opportunity on the basics of soil health, mulching, structural pruning, pest management, and much more!
Proper Tree Planting
7:15pm
Zach Manor from the Raleigh Parks Urban Forestry Program will demonstrate how to properly plant and care for trees!
More things to do
Get ready for a full day of family-friendly creativity, connection, and celebration! This year’s festival features a unique lineup of activities and performances for all ages. There will be something for everyone to enjoy!
The festival’s welcome ceremony begins at 5:30pm at the Main Stage.
Games and Environmental Activities
4:00pm - 8:00pm
Enjoy an afternoon of outdoors games & hands-on environmental activities with volunteers & local environmental educators!
Trivia Game
4:00pm - 8:00pm
Play trivia for a chance to win prizes, such as wood crafts, children’s books, and more! Scan the Trivia Game QR code at the festival to play!
Poetry Fox
5:00pm - 8:00pm
Join Poetry Fox—a giant fox!—as he creates custom, on-demand poems. Be sure to request a poem of your very own! Chris Vitello is Durham’s poet Laureate.
Earth Dance
6:00pm
Members of the Tuscarora Nation and other regional tribal communities will share Earth Dances, also called social dances. You might even find yourself invited to participate in some of them!
Environmental Awards
6:30pm
The Raleigh Environmental Awards celebrate the best in climate action, community engagement, and corporate stewardship in our city. Celebrate this year’s award winners and their accomplishments!
Tree Dedication
7:15pm
Join David Rahahę•tih Webb of the Tuscarora Nation for the tree dedication, who will offer powerful words and cultural insight on the value of trees.
Parade and Bulltown
7:20pm - 8:15pm
Join the musical, tree-planting parade led by Bulltown Strutters! This New Orleans-style community band is based in our own backyard—beautiful Durham!
Ceremonial Tree Planting
7:30pm
A central tradition of the festival, the tree planting ceremony brings the community together to honor our connection to the Earth and our responsibility to future generations. Come enjoy the ceremony and learn how to properly plant a tree.
Movie in the Park
8:15pm
Watch an outdoor screening of The Wild Robot (2024)—a critically acclaimed, full-length feature film about an intelligent robot stranded on an uninhabited island!
Local food trucks
We are excited to feature a delicious lineup of local food trucks offering something for everyone—including vegan options, sweet treats, burgers, and more. Click on each logo below to explore menus and dietary options, and be sure to check back soon for new vendors as we get closer to the festival!
Stay connected and join the conversation! Follow us on social media for the latest updates, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and inspiring stories from our community.
Connect with us
Our sponsors
A thank you to
The Raleigh Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration is a free, family-friendly event made possible by the generosity of our sponsors. Their support helps us provide meaningful programming, community engagement, and a memorable experience for all who attend.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to this year’s sponsors—your contributions make this celebration possible.
Become a sponsor for 2026
The Raleigh Earth and Arbor Day Celebration is an annual, family-friendly event, free for all to attend, but we depend on sponsors like you to make it happen.
If you would like to take your support to the next level, consider sponsoring next year’s festival, and help make the celebration a success!
Past highlights
Take a look back at some of our favorite moments from previous Raleigh Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebrations! From vibrant community events and amazing vendors, to inspiring performances and generous sponsors, these highlights showcase the energy and heart that make this festival so special.
Make a donation today
Your support helps us accomplish our mission to restore and preserve our natural environment for future generations through hands-on activities, environmental education, and community engagement, bringing harmony to all life.