About 200 people gathered Saturday, April 25, in downtown Santa Rosa to celebrate Earth Day at a free, family-friendly festival focused on sustainability and community action.
The event, organized in part by the City of Santa Rosa, was held from noon to 4 p.m. at Old Courthouse Square and featured more than 50 exhibitors, live performances and hands-on activities aimed at raising awareness about drought, climate change and other environmental concerns.
A parade led by the Earthly Procession collective began at noon at Juilliard Park, featuring handmade puppets of flapping moths, butterflies and other regional creatures, and made its way to the square by 1 p.m.
The Earthly Procession waits for the walk sign, at Third Street and Santa Rosa Avenue en route to the Earth Day celebration at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Attendees browsed booths showcasing local, environmentally friendly products and community resources, while an outdoor performing arts lineup highlighted Santa Rosa’s creative community with performances from the Illuminate Dance Academy, Redwood Country Cloggers and more. Food and drink vendors, along with a beer and wine garden, drew steady crowds throughout the afternoon.
The Sonoma County Pomo Dancers perform during an Earth Day celebration at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Eleven-year-olds Amalia Reynoso and Annika Loftman from Proctor Terrace Elementary School were at the event to showcase their school’s composting program.
“We’ve been working on a composting program for our school, because we have a garden, and we want to get the word out and then we can get more money for other stuff and keep our garden healthy,” Loftman said.
Reynoso agreed, saying the best part so far of the event had been making signs for their booth.
“Making the signs and doing the research is really fun, but some of it’s really hard too,” she said. “Sometimes I just, like, feel lucky that I got chosen for this.”
Children took part in crafts and activities organized by Santa Rosa Recreation & Parks, and a hydration station encouraged visitors to use reusable water bottles as part of the festival’s zero-waste goal. Free bike parking was provided by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.
An armadillo presented by Classroom Safari during the Earth Day celebration at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Christian Navarro with Classroom Safari holds a 3-year-old ball python during the Earth Day celebration at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Alayca Cervantes, 27, managed the Sonoma Land Trust’s booth at the celebration, highlighting various upcoming programming the conservation nonprofit has planned.
“We have an event called ‘Child in the Wild’ coming up on May 31 out at Howard Park, completely free to families,” Cervantes said. “We are also promoting our outings program. So we offer free yoga, sound healing and forest bathing out on the southeast Greenway almost every Wednesday from now until June.”
Public transit agencies, including Santa Rosa CityBus, Petaluma Transit and Sonoma County Transit, offered fare-free rides to and from the event.
As the afternoon wound down, families lingered in the square, many carrying packets of native seeds, pamphlets and handmade crafts — small reminders of a day centered on community and environmental stewardship.
You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at isabel.beer@pressdemocrat.com.