Frog Fest 2026

A Ribbiting Day at Frog Fest at UC Berkeley!

What a fantastic day at Frog Fest at UC Berkeley, hosted by the Tarvin Lab! The event was buzzing with excitement as approximately 1,300 people came out to celebrate frogs, amphibians, science, art, and the amazing world of animals.

There was something for everyone to enjoy. Visitors had the opportunity to view fascinating specimens from the UC Berkeley collections and learn more about the incredible diversity of amphibians and other animals.

Huge frog from the UC Berkeley collections.

A 89 year old frog skeleton from a bull frog collected in Wildcat Canyon.

Meeting Our Animal Ambassadors

Of course, one of the highlights was meeting our animal ambassadors! They helped bring the experience to life and gave visitors an up-close opportunity to learn about and appreciate the animals we share our world with.

To keep our frog animal ambassadors safe, we generally bring frogs to events for visitors to observe and learn about rather than to touch. Amphibians have semipermeable skin, which makes them particularly vulnerable to anything that might be on our hands, including oils, lotions, or other substances. Avoiding unnecessary handling helps protect their health and well-being.

We know that the hands-on part of our programs is an important way to create connections with animals. That’s why, for Frog Fest, we also brought along some of our reptile ambassadors. Reptiles gave visitors the opportunity to have a more hands-on experience while learning about these fascinating animals.

Our frog animal ambassador set-up before the event began.

Creativity was on full display during the Frog Fest art contest! Check out some of the entries below:

We loved seeing families, students, animal lovers, and curious visitors come together to learn, explore, and have fun.

A huge thank you to the Tarvin Lab and all the volunteers who helped make Frog Fest such a success. We’re grateful to everyone who stopped by, explored the collections, participated in the activities, admired the frogs, met our reptile ambassadors, and helped us celebrate the fascinating world of amphibians and reptiles.

Marshmallow watching from their travel bin.