Procession of the Species

The Procession of the Species Celebration is an annual, community arts-based Earth Day celebration in Olympia, Washington. It is the largest annual Earth Day celebration in the Puget Sound area and Cascadia bioregion.

History

Started in 1995 by a group of Olympia residents, the Procession originally commemorated the 25th anniversary of Earth Day and to support Congressional renewal of the Endangered Species Act.

About

In a city with approximately 42,000 residents, Procession regularly draws 30,000-35,000 spectator participants and 2,000-3,000 participants. 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.