The Procession of the Species Celebration is an annual, community arts-based Earth Day celebration in Olympia, Washington. It was started in 1995 by a group of Olympia residents to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Earth Day and to support Congressional renewal of the Endangered Species Act.

Today Procession of the Species is the largest annual Earth Day celebration in the Puget Sound area and Cascadia bioregion. In a city of just over 42,000, it draws 30,000-35,000 spectator participants and 2,000-3,000 Processioneers. The celebration is completely noncommercial, made possible by community contributions of money, materials, time, and skills. The event has three ground rules: no live pets, no motorized vehicles, and no written words. Participants use a wide range of artistic approaches and mostly donated or scavenged materials to express appreciation for the natural world: costumes, banners, floats, puppets, drumming, community bands, and more. Procession organizers establish a Community Arts Center for the weeks prior to Procession Day, where community members come together to create or practice their Procession creations.

Inspired by Olympia's event, Procession of the Species celebrations have happened or are planned in states around the U.S. and nations around the world. It is a nationally recognized model for community arts-based involvement, environmental education, arts education, and cultural exchange.

External Link

• Procession of the Species Celebration, Olympia, WA