The Environmental Center’s 2025 Earth Day celebration, slated for Saturday, will look different than in years past.

There will be no parade of people clad in colorful, environment-themed costumes marching through the streets of downtown Bend.

Instead, organizers at the Environmental Center have poured their efforts into the Earth Day Fair at Troy Field, which will feature performances of traditional dancing, singing and drumming, in addition to food trucks and vendors sharing environmental efforts.

Now named the Earth Day Fair & Celebration, festivities will be heavily community-centric, offering “a space for folks to come and engage in community and belonging,” said Priscilla Calleros, events and outreach manager.

A hard decision

The decision to cancel the parade was weighed heavily and took years of deliberation among planning staff. According to a statement on the organization’s website, determining factors included increasing logistical, safety and financial considerations.

A new permitting system introduced by the city involved a lengthier application process and increased fees. And although the parade lasted only 30 minutes, it presented an inconvenience to community members patronizing the downtown area, some of whom expressed their frustrations to volunteers, Calleros said.

The nonprofit also faced challenges recruiting the necessary volunteers to run the parade, presenting a safety issue for volunteers and parade-goers. Finally, the scales were tipped by the amount of work required to organize the parade.

Right up until making the announcement to the public, Calleros said she wrestled with the decision.

“It takes my entire team, a whole fleet, to make the parade happen,” Calleros said. “It doesn’t hurt to try something new this year. We’ll reassess at the end of this event and think about what we can do next year.”

She’s optimistic that her team will be able to bring the parade back by collaborating with nonprofits to help share the workload, or that the city might relax requirements for the community event.

And while Calleros will miss watching Aztec dancers parade through downtown Bend, it has freed up her time to focus on planning the fair.

Diverse cultural celebrations

The fair begins with interactive storytelling by artist Teafly and the Earth Guardians. She made the 8-foot-tall puppets in collaboration with The Environmental Center and three other artists. Named The River Guardian, The Forest Guardian and The Garden Guardian, the puppets are made from 75% recycled materials and used to teach children about sustainability and environmental stewardship.

New performances this year include Aztec dancing by Portland’s Ollin Yolliztli and traditional Hawaiian dancing by Hokule’a Ohana, based in Redmond. Also on the docket is Mayan drumming led by Maya T’aan Oregon and community singing with Kira Seto of Voices Rising Community Choir.

Calleros intentionally invites diverse communities to celebrate their cultural practices of connecting with Mother Nature.

“Historically, communities of color have been left out of the environmental movement because the environmental movement, for so long, has looked a specific way,” she said. “We forget that the people before us have long cared for the Earth and have had a connection to the elements, to water, to fire, to land and pay different respects to those different elements of the Earth.”

In light of the cancellations of community events due to possible immigration enforcement, Calleros recognizes the privilege inherent in moving forward with Earth Day celebrations. Latinx Fiesta Celebación, organized by Central Oregon Community College, was canceled last weekend, following announcements that The Latino Community Association’s Latino Fest in Madras and The Fathers Group’s Juneteenth were canceled for 2025.

“The Environmental Center stands in solidarity with these groups,” Calleros said, adding that the organization has been involved in supporting the environmental efforts of all three events.

“We are here because we want to uplift and hold space and be in community and spread love and joy.”

If You Go

What: Earth Day Fair & Celebration

When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Troy Field, Downtown Bend, 690 NW Bond St., Bend

Cost: Free

Contact: envirocenter.org/earthday