2nd Annual Wildlife Jewels World Wildlife Day Celebration – Newport Beach
A Community Celebration of Wildlife through Art, Learning, and Creativity!
World Wildlife Day Newport Beach inspires all ages to protect wildlife worldwide while discovering and caring for our local coastal and urban wildlife, native plants, and pollinators through art, science, and community-based conservation.
Join Us for World Wildlife Day 2026!
Wildlife Jewels® invites you to our 2nd Annual World Wildlife Day “Learn from Wildlife®” Newport Beach Community Celebration—held in honor of the United Nations World Wildlife Day. Join us for an inspiring, hands-on experience where our community honors wildlife through art, fashion, science, conservation, and creativity.
This year’s global UN theme highlights the importance of plants in sustaining health, culture, and biodiversity. Here in Newport Beach, we’re celebrating the native plants that keep our ecosystems thriving—especially the species that monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, pollinators, and coastal wildlife rely on for survival. Our program places a special emphasis on pollinators, California’s coastal and marine wildlife, and the importance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that protect critical habitats along our shores.
Enjoy a Wildlife Jewels art + fashion exhibit, interactive painting, and pollinator planting in the park, plus a youth and community art showcase, inspiring talks on local and global wildlife conservation, community exhibitors, and hands-on Wildlife Rescue Kit Stations—where volunteers can help assemble simple kits that support our local wildlife rescue response. We’ll also feature a special monarch butterfly spotlight focused on protecting monarchs and creating pollinator-friendly habitats.
FREE. All ages are welcome. Families, students, educators, artists, and nature lovers are encouraged to join!
Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026
Time: 2:00–5:30 PM
Location: Newport Beach Civic Center – Community Room & Lawn
100 Civic Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Parking: Available FREE onsite!
Together, we create wonder, care, and connection—for wildlife.
Pre-registration is Recommended! You can also sign up for our Plant for Hummingbirds and Paint for Wildlife activities by selecting your preferred option in the registration form below!
Reserve your spot now by registering below!
Get Involved: Paint the Jewels of the World!
Participate in the Wildlife Jewels’ Paint the Jewels™ of the World Collective Art activities and contribute to large paintings showcasing nearly-threatened, endangered and vulnerable species like the Monarch Butterfly, keystone species such as the Antarctic Krill, and our local coastal wildlife like Brown Pelicans and Whales.
🖌️ Artist-led + guided by our founder and wildlife artist: Start with a sketched, signature Wildlife Jewels composition—then beautify each wildlife with color.
Engage in a hands-on artistic experience while learning about each species' importance in our ecosystems and the urgent conservation efforts needed to protect them!
Featured Speakers
Azi Sharif, PhD — Wildlife Jewels
Orange County Supervisor District 5 Monarch Butterfly Waystation Committee
Andy Blue — Persian Leopard and Lion Cubs Rescue
Exhibiting Community Partners
Connect with local organizations working in wildlife rescue, habitat protection, environmental science, sustainability, and marine conservation.
Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center
Get Involved: Plant for Hummingbirds!
Participate in Wildlife Jewels’ Plant for Hummingbirds™ activity and plant native flowers at the Newport Beach Civic Center Park to support hummingbirds and butterflies!
Join Wildlife Jewels to Celebrate Hummingbirds & Butterflies by planting native plants that attract and support them! This exciting event aims to bring together nature enthusiasts from our community to plant flowers that benefit local hummingbird and butterfly species. It will also raise awareness about these unique species, enhance the beauty of our city with vibrant flowers, and promote wildlife conservation.
Plant for Hummingbirds™ is a program of Wildlife Jewels inspiring pollinator protection through a fusion of conservation and arts.
Wildlife Jewels Plant for Hummingbirds!
Welcome and Registration 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Program: Featured Speakers 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Plant for Hummingbirds & Butterflies Activity 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Schedule
Paint for Wildlife Art Activity 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Closing Remarks: 5:15 PM
Exhibit Outreach Tables & Booths 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Art & Fashion Exhibits 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
For SPONSORSHIP Opportunities, Email Partnerships@WildlifeJewels.org
Inspired By #NatureForAll
Wildlife Jewels is honored to be a part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) #NatureForAll community!
#NatureForAll is a global movement to inspire, celebrate and restore love of nature. It is founded on a very simple idea: the more people experience, connect with, and share their love for nature, the more support and action there will be for its conservation.
Get Involved: Volunteer for World Wildlife Day Newport Beach!
As a volunteer, you’ll help bring this exciting event to life through art, conservation, ocean stewardship, marine debris education, planting, and community engagement. Teens, college students, and community members are all welcome—no experience needed!
Highlights from the Wildlife Jewels World Wildlife Day Celebration 2025!
Photos: Captured by Troy Michael Photography
Enter to Win an exclusive Wildlife Jewels® Collections Wildlife Inspired Work of Art
Enter your photo from our event for an opportunity to win a signature Wildlife Jewels® Collections wildlife inspired design!
Submit a photo of a wildlife you see at the Civic Center Park during our event!
Tell us what is the most unique feature of the wildlife that you photographed
**Please note, the winner and prize will be announced 2 days after our event
Our Vision
“We dream of a world where wildlife thrives untouched by human activities, roaming freely in their natural habitats. In this world, every person recognizes the magnificent beauty and value of living wildlife, and takes significant action to ensure safety and protection of wildlife.”
— Azi Sharif, Founder & Executive Director Wildlife Jewels®
Would you like to make a donation?
We offer this event free of charge. Wildlife Jewels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates on donations. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Would you be interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to express your support for our mission to protect wildlife from human-caused threats?
