Tuscaloosa’s Earth Day Festival is this Sunday at Capitol Park from noon to 5 p.m. The festival is held in honor of Earth Day, a day each year dedicated to increasing awareness and appreciation of Earth’s natural environment.

The event has been an annual tradition in Tuscaloosa, but this year, new leadership has taken on the project. Net Impact, a student leadership group focused on making a positive impact, has partnered with Creative Campus and the New College to keep this Tuscaloosa tradition alive.

“It’s been done for many years, and I was disappointed last year when there wasn’t really a festival,” said Austin Creel, vice president of community involvement for Net Impact. “We had some extra funding for this year, and we felt like this was a good event to sponsor and keep going.”

The event is typically held on the UA campus, but this year, the location has been changed to Capitol Park, located downtown. Organizers of the event anticipate the change of venue to be positive and encourage a more intimate setting.

The festival will feature music by Blackwater Thieves, Eric the Red & Dudley DoRights Mounted Brigade, Palmetto Bluegrass, and Brendan Jones. Food will be provided by local vendors and Subs ‘n’ You, and a sustainability workshop will be available to participants.

Activities will also be open for children in attendance. John Wathen, an environmentalist who works with Hurricane Creek, will also serve as a keynote speaker for the event.

Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. Donors will be entered into a raffle for gift cards, Earth day T-shirts, and more. Donations of more than $15 will receive a shirt to tie-dye. Donations benefit Friends of Hurricane Creek (hurricane-creek.org), an environmental non-profit organization that works to address environmental issues in Tuscaloosa.

The new leadership hopes to continue to put on the Earth Day Festival in the future. Though this year’s event is anticipated to be a success, organizers of the event hope to expand the event even further in future years.

“We want to continue the event and have a decent amount of people have an intimate local affair to celebrate Earth Day,” said Ryan Davis, a Creative Campus graduate assistant. “Next year, we hope to do something even larger that raises a lot of money and makes a lot of noise.”

Students and members of the Tuscaloosa community are encouraged to attend the event as a way to show support for our local environment, while having a good time.

All students who attend the event are encouraged to write on a banner that will be present at the festival. Organizers hope to continue this practice as the event continues to grow in upcoming years. The event aims to be fun for all those in attendance.

“It will be a good time and good music, and there’s great food,” Davis said.