There’s a rather unusual festival coming to parts of the Elmwood Village this Saturday. It’s called The Flutteryby Festival, and its a strolling festival (no street closures) that encourages festival-goers to seek out numerous eco elements starting at Summer Street and ending to Forest Avenue (including commercial side streets).
This festival gives people a chance to see what local businesses and eco-minded organizations are doing to create a more earth friendly world. With global warming mounting, and various species being eradicated from the face of the planet, this event intends to demonstrate that we can all make a difference when it comes to making crucial changes to our daily routines – from opting for reusable bags, to supporting local food growers, to eating and shopping with a more sustainable approach.
This is not your typical Buffalo festival, where there will be giant food and beer tents. This is a festival that encourages people to explore the Elmwood Village neighborhood. Along the way festival-goers might come along music buskers and performers, or plein air painters, all who are eager to shine a light on environmental issues. For the kids, there will be face painters, a bike rodeo (in the former Bullfeathers parking lot – 1010 Elmwood Avenue), a monarch butterfly tent (corner of Elmwood and West Ferry), and chance to be part of the creation of a new children’s eco book (902 Elmwood Avenue).
The festival will also showcase numerous eco pop-ups, such as a kombucheria at the corner of Elmwood and Bryant (Snowy Owl in the former Epic space), Bug Burgers and mushroom cocktails at Trattoria Aroma (307 Bryant Street), and a festival beer – Flutterby Honey Blonde, made with 40 gallons of locally sourced honey – will be available at numerous bars and restaurants. There will be blessings of the street, pets, bikes, and the planet. Three eco murals are also underway. There will be chalk artists, and DIY groups, and pigs (eating the spend brewing grains at Thin Man Brewery), and goats (Let’s Goat Buffalo at Bidwell Parkway), eco cocktails (Breezy Burrito -1000 Elmwood Avenue will be open for lunch and dinner), garden plantings with Grassroots Gardens and Olson Designs), bike brigades, upcycled furniture, live music, a flea market (corner of Elmwood and West Ferry), a farmers market (corner of Elmwood and Bidwell), yoga, a Flutterby beer garden in back of Forty Thieves (727 Elmwood Avenue) – the launch of an eco-minded Women’s Business Consortium, a puppet wagon, eco products, eco book pop-ups, bike builders, bug hotels, a labyrinth, nature walks, eco clothing, people powered smoothies, henna, f(hair)y strands, wellness groups, a giant Lorax selfie sculpture, a drum circle, dancers, planet conscious ice cream sundaes (at The Lexington Co-Op), eco authors, and a marching band.
Everything has been mapped out here thanks to our friends at Zero Waste Buffalo. You can also view all of the participants by clicking here.
The goal of this festival is to leave behind elements that will help to transform Elmwood into an eco corridor or pollinator pathway. One day, we won’t need a festival to celebrate the planet, because every day will be Earth Day. But for now, this is a chance to learn about inspirational people, businesses, and organizations that are doing their part to protect the planet. Come stroll around The Elmwood Village this Saturday, from 11am to 7pm, and get inspired to be a better steward of the environment. If you get hungry, stop into one of the participating festival restaurants (look for the Flutterby stickers on their windows). Or grab a Flutterby Beer – a few of the restaurants are dedicating Flutterby beer proceeds to local eco organizations. And be sure to throw a buck into a busker’s instrument case, or say hello to one of the eco artists.
In preparation for this festival, numerous Elmwood Village businesses have planted milkweed (for butterflies and bees – the pollinators), added eco food and drink items to their menus, ditched plastic straws and bags, and are featuring eco products during the festival. Be sure to support the businesses that support the environment.
For more information on The Flutterby Festival, visit this webpage. Or join the Festival’s Facebook group to keep up with the latest news.
Anyone that is looking to get involved with the Festival can send an email to newellflutterby@gmail.com.
We hope that you pay a visit to this inaugural festival, and learn some valuable eco lessons along the way!
Festival Sponsors