Ohio Bat Fest 2025 — The Ohio Bat Lab

We are excited to invite you to the 4th annual Ohio Bat Festival in CinCinnati!

On October 25th 2025, at Maple Ridge Lodge [3990 MAPLE RIDGE RD, Cincinnati, OH] we will come together to celebrate our bat neighbors. Migrate on over to Cincinnati and explore the amazing diversity of bat species that call our planet—and your backyard—home. Dispel misconceptions about bats, and explore the ways that bats and humans can co-exist!

The Ohio Bat Fest is a FREE event for people of all ages. We will have field demonstrations, activities for kids, interesting exhibits highlighting the ecology, diversity, and conservation of bats in Ohio and globally. We look forward to seeing you there!

—Let us know if you plan to come!—

Want to volunteer? Email Batsproject@ucmail.uc.edu And let us know!

—Share our Full Color flier Or print this flier—

Exhibits - Ecology, Diversity, Conservation

🦇Meet a live bat!🦇
Learn about Smart Bat Condos and Barn - conservation in action
Discover the underground world of caves with the Cincinnati Grotto
Learn about bat boxes, and how you can get involved
Watch field footage from real bat surveys
Get to know Ohio’s bat species

Bat Chatter - Demonstrations with Experts

Drone demonstrations will take place at a quarter past each hour, starting at 12:15 PM and continuing through 4:15 PM
Telemetry walks (see how we track bats) will take place on the half hour, starting at 12:30 PM and continuing through 4:30 PM
Mist-net setup demonstrations on the hour 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Acoustic recorders and Camera traps - get hands-on!

All in the Roost - Family Friendly Activities

Come dressed as a bat - Costumes are encouraged!
Color your own bat
Become a bat - take your photo in a bat cutout
Compare your hand to a bat wing
Test your knowledge - Bat trivia games for kids and adults
Identify bats by their wing prints - fingerprinting bats
Face painting (tbd)

Engage with People working in conservation and management:

Ohio Division of Wildlife
Ohio Bat Working Group
Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District
Great Parks
Ohio Woodland Stewards
Wildlife Rehabilitators

Help Us Help Bats: Support Bat Conservation Innovation

Although Ohio Bat Fest is a free event, there will be fun items available for a donation—like Bat Fest T-shirts, stickers, and more! We’re also hosting a Silent Auction, where you’ll have a chance to win your very own Wildlife Acoustics Echo Meter Touch for your smartphone, along with many other great items! Your donation helps fund research projects on climate-smart bat roosts and educational programs such as Bat Fest that connect communities to the science and importance of bat conservation.

Interested in a T-shirt, fill out this survey so we have your style and size on hand.