By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Every year in October, Del Rio and Val Verde County get ringside seats to one of the great spectacles of the natural world – the annual migration of millions of Monarch butterflies from Canada and the U.S. to their winter roosts in central Mexico.
To celebrate the butterflies’ passage, the public is invited to attend the 3rd Annual City of Del Rio Texas Monarch Festival 2026 to be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at the historic Brown Plaza outside the Casa De La Cultura, 302 Cantu St. The event is free.
City Communications and Marketing Director Peter Ojeda, one of the event’s main organizers, said, “Del Rio has several ‘designations’; we’re a Tree City USA, and we apply for that every year. We work with the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce on some other designations. For the Monarch Festival, working with Casa De La Cultura, we saw an opportunity to celebrate another of our great natural wonders.”
Ojeda added, “I’ve always loved seeing the migration. I think the same can be said for some of our partners, like Lupita (De La Paz, Casa De La Cultura executive director) and Esme (Esparza, city community services director), so we got together with some of the other agencies, including the chamber, the San Felipe Creek Coalition, the National Park Service at the Amistad National Recreation Area and the Consulado of Mexico, and decided to put on this event.
“The first year, we had it at the Brown Plaza, and we had it on a Saturday. We noticed some of the traffic patterns, and we changed it to a Friday. We saw that was successful, and we’re continuing that this year. We’ve expanded the festival, with some music to really bring the community together. It’s grown every year, and we expect this year to be even bigger,” Ojeda said.
De La Paz added when she was approached by the city, she immediately offered her help.
De La Paz said, “I thought it was really great. It’s something that’s really important to me and people in my little circle, and for the city to embrace it, I think that means the community is becoming more knowledgeable and aware of our natural treasures and knowing what a blessing it is to live in this place.
“When the city took the lead on this project, I think it helps us communicate to more people, maybe people who didn’t know the Monarchs pass through every year, that this is something really special and important,” De La Paz added.
Ojeda said this year’s festival will feature a variety of Monarch-themed information and activities, but will include some of the area’s rich cultural elements as well.
The festival will include ballet folklorico performances by Macuilxochitl and a matlachines performance by Danza Guadalupana. The performances will be at 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. respectively.
A Monarch Parade around the Brown Plaza will begin at 7 p.m. Parents and children attending the festival are encouraged to dress up in Monarch-inspired costumes and decorations. Following the parade, there will be a Monarch costume contest, and prizes will be awarded to the best costume in three categories: child, adolescent and adult.
Live music featuring La Quimica will begin at 8 p.m. and continue until the end of the festival at 10 p.m.
Ojeda said the first 100 attendees will receive a specially designed Monarch Festival pin.
De La Paz said the festival will feature a plant swap in the patio next to the Casa De La Cultura, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
“People can bring any plants they want to swap, and we’ll give them some ‘plant money,’ and they get to take as many plants as they bring in,” De La Paza said.
She said the event will also host a free plant loteria from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Participants who register will also have a chance to win several types of native plants, including Ceniza, blue plumbago and Mexican firebush, all considered vital species for pollinating insects like the Monarch butterflies.
The festival will also include informational booths, face painting and someone doing caricatures.
A number of food vendors are also expected to be present for the event.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
