Watch the Sky Come Alive at Cave Springs’ Bats and Bluegrass Festival
One night a year, Cave Springs becomes the kind of place you tell people about on Monday morning. The Illinois River Watershed Partnership has been pulling off this annual gathering for years, and it keeps selling out. Turns out, watching thousands of bats pour out of a cave at dusk is the kind of thing that builds a following. If you’ve been meaning to go, this is the year to stop putting it off.
THE DEETS
📅 Saturday, June 20, 2026
🕔 5:00 PM–9:00 PM
📍 IRWP Sanctuary, 221 S Main St, Cave Springs, AR, United States, 72718
🎟️ $25.00 – $100.00
🔗 More info | Tickets
Your First Stop: The Food and the Pavilion
Park in the field between Partners Lake and First Baptist Church along Highfill Road. Volunteers will be there to guide you in. Once you’re through the entrance, head toward the gravel path where three food trucks are set up leading to the pavilion. Bartholomew’s Brisket N Burgers is running the BBQ, K’zolis has pizza and pasta, and Fuegos brings Latin and Caribbean options. At the pavilion, you can browse conservation partner booths and pick up IRWP swag before heading deeper into the sanctuary.
Into the Sanctuary
Nature hikes, bat surveying, macroinvertebrate collection, nature identification games, and hands-on craft creation are all spread across the grounds. The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission leads the cave experience inside Cave Springs Cave, giving you a look at the space before dusk.
At 7:30 PM, Sons of Otis Malone starts playing near the cave. As the music picks up, gray bats begin pouring out into the evening sky. That’s the moment people come back for every year.
Grab Your Tickets Now
This event has sold out two years running. Proceeds go toward the IRWP’s work protecting water quality and restoring habitat across the Illinois River watershed.
Every ticket purchase directly funds that mission, supporting the same organization that maintains the sanctuary you’ll be walking through that evening. If you want to follow their work year-round, you can stay connected through the IRWP website and social channels. June 20 is a good place to start.
