Sunday, April 17 marks the date of the twenty-seventh annual Earth Fair at Balboa Park. Each year, around sixty thousand people visit the celebration. Over four hundred volunteers help each year to keep the event running by operating food stands, providing children-friendly areas and producing an Earth Day Parade.

  According to the event’s official website, this year’s Earth Fair featured five stages throughout the park. This included the Children’s Stage, with music and storytelling aimed towards younger children, the Moon Stage and the Sun Stage, which included music from local artists and was geared towards adults, and the Magic Stage, which featured the Dr. Wilderness Family Magic Show, coming to San Diego for its fifteenth year (earthdayweb.org).

   Dr. Wilderness was named “America’s Premier Environmental Magician” by the Audubon Society. He has also performed over three thousand shows at schools around San Diego (earthdayweb.org). “I’ve seen his show a few times as a kid. It was really funny and exciting. It was my favorite part of the whole festival when I was younger,” said Freshman Casey Granfors.

  The celebration also had the eARTh Gallery, which featured works by San Diego artists using recycled materials. Anyone can enter artwork in the eARTh gallery for a chance of it being displayed at the festival. “The artwork at the Earth Day festival is always very unique, because it’s made from recycled items instead of regular art materials like clay or paint. I’ve gone to look at the artwork the last two years and it’s always been really interesting,” said Junior Kaylee Williams.

   Each year, the Children’s Earth Parade begins by the Spanish Village and marches through Balboa Park to the Children’s Area in the Pan American Plaza. Everyone was encouraged to participate in the parade and dress in Earth-friendly attire. “I remember my parents would take me to watch the parade every year when I was a kid. It was fun and I still go every year,” said Junior Gavin Rasmussen.

   Our Earth is something worth celebrating all year around. Balboa Park’s Earth Fair helps us remember how important our planet is and commemorate a day each year for the whole family to enjoy.