Conner Prairie and Outdoor Afro Indy have planned a week full of experiences in honor of Black Birders Week.
Typically celebrated the last week of May, Conner Prairie and Outdoor Afro Indy are partnering this year to host a week full of guided birding walks, outdoor experiences and inclusive nature programming May 24-30. Throughout the week, Hoosiers are invited to step into nature through a variety of activities and immersive experiences designed to celebrate Black joy, curiosity and “a deeper connection with the outdoors,” according to a press release.
Black Birders Week is an annual celebration of Black joy in the outdoors, highlighting Black nature enthusiasts, scientists and birders. This year’s celebration is supported through Birdathon grant funding from Bird Alliance of Central Indiana and aims to create welcoming spaces where guests can learn, explore and appreciate the natural world together, uplifting Black participants and welcoming allies in a supportive role, according to a press release.
Throughout the week, guests can participate in daily programming highlighting birds and birders across Conner Prairie’s grounds, including guided birding walks, hands-on animal experiences, poetry workshops and a keynote presentation exploring Black ecopoetic traditions.
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Guests are invited to build community during Sunset Stroll from 6-9 p.m. on May 25. The outdoor event offers a bit of birdwatching for those 21 and older while connecting with fellow nature enthusiasts as the sun sets over Indiana. Earlier in the evening, guests can stop by the make-your-own trail mix snack bar and cash bar at the Hilltop Pavilion, followed by a 2.5-miled guides stroll along the Trails at Conner Prairie.
Later in the week, Michelle A. Banks, a cultural worker and transdisciplinary scholar whose work explores memory, place-making and sustainability, will deliver the keynote presentation. “Behold the Land: Black Ecopoetic Traditions” takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. on May 29 in the Prairie House and explores the work of Black artists and writers at the intersection of ancestral and environmental memory.
Taking its title from W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1946 address, “Behold the Land,” Banks’ presentation reflects on “the significance of nature to the lived experience of Black communities in the United States,” through creatives such as Dawoud Bey, Lucille Clifton, J. Drew Lanham and Lauret Savoy, according to a press release.
Banks is the curator of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C., and the free presentation is presented as part of the institution’s Making History, Making Change Lecture Series and Our Shared Future: 250 initiative.
More Black Birders Week 2026 events:
- Beginning Birding Session with Doug Gray — May 25, 9-11 a.m.
- Chicken Check-In with Conner Prairie Agriculture Staff — May 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Stationary Birding with Outdoor Afro Indy — May 25, 1-3 p.m.
- Sunset Stroll — May 25, 6-9 p.m.
- Guided Nature Walk (Birding) — May 28, 11 a.m. to noon.
- Poetry Workshop — May 28, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- Keynote: “Behold the Land”: Black Ecopoetic Traditions featuring Michelle Banks, curator with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage — May 29, 6-8:30 p.m.
- Daily programs highlighting birds and birders — May 24-30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Black Birders Week 2026 takes place May 24-30 at Conner Prairie, 13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers. For more information, to purchase tickets or to register for the keynote presentation, visit connerprairie.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
