It’s that time of year again – registration is now open for the free 2022 Metro Children’s Water Festival! Don’t wait to apply – registration for the in-person option closes April 1, 2022. Additionally, this year is the festival’s 25th anniversary, celebrating 25 years of water education!

The Metro Children’s Water Festival will be available both in-person and virtually for September 2022. This annual event teaches fourth graders about all aspects of water. The past two festivals (2020 and 2021) have been virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2022, the planning committee is planning to return to an in-person festival back at the MN State Fairgrounds with health and safety precautions in place. A virtual option will also be available for those who cannot attend in person, or for those who would like to supplement their in-person experience with more content!

Keep reading for more information and registration details.

Registration

The in-person festival is scheduled for September 28, 2022. Register at www.metrocwf.org/register. Registration for the in-person festival is open now and closes April 1, 2022.

You can also register for the virtual option at the above link. Content is available now, but the planning committee requests registration prior to utilization of the content.

What is the Metro Children’s Water Festival?

The annual Metro Children’s Water Festival educates, motivates, and challenges fourth grade students across the metro area to understand, conserve, and protect water resources. The day brings more than 200 water resource professionals and volunteers together with area teachers and students. There are 49 interactive learning stations that all meet one or more of three core education components: Water’s Chemical & Physical Properties, Hydrology, and Impacts. Students learn about water’s physical and chemical properties, how water move on the land’s surface and underground, and where water is found and how it is connected. This learning is connected to student lives through activities that emphasize how they impact water quality and how water quality impacts them. The Metro Children’s Water Festival is free to fourth grade participants thanks to more than 25 sponsors who provide financial and in-kind donations, including the Metropolitan Council, metro area counties and watershed districts, and state agencies.

How will the 2022 festival be different from previous years?

The entirety of the 25th annual festival will take place outdoors and students will only participate in learning stations with their class. There will be no indoor activities or mixing of classes. The Science Museum show and water arcade will not be offered this year. Classes will attend individual presentations by local water resource professionals. The planning committee will follow all Minnesota Department of Education recommendations and guidelines. As such, if guidelines surrounding gatherings change, or in the event of rain or inclement weather, the in-person festival will be canceled, and all classes will be encouraged to participate in the virtual festival.

Questions

If you have any questions about the Metro Children’s Water Festival, the planning committee is happy to help! For registration questions, contact Abby Shea with Anoka County Environmental Services at 763-324-4207 or abby.shea@co.anoka.mn.us. For other questions, visit the Contact Us page on the festival website to find the appropriate contact.