Oxnard's Insect Festival returns with cricket tacos, reptiles

• Guests will be able to interact with a variety of bugs and reptiles.
• Oxnard city staff, nominated by their peers, will eat insects on stage.

Children and adults are in for a crunchy treat. 

Residents will have the chance to eat bugs, including cricket tacos, at Oxnard’s third annual Insect Festival Saturday at Plaza Park. 

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the downtown park, 500 S. C St.

City spokesperson Katie Casey said the festival is a fun learning experience for guests of all ages. They’ll get to interact with a variety of bugs — including hissing cockroaches, maggots, worms, bees and stick bugs ― and a host of different reptiles. 

Attendees will learn about the insects’ and reptiles’ role in their ecosystems and how cultures fit the bugs into their diet. 

“It’s about how we all cohabitate on the planet together,” Casey said. 

Kids can come dressed as their favorite creepy-crawler or scaly friend to participate in a costume contest and parade. The costume contest starts at 11 a.m.

They can also watch city staff, who were nominated by their peers, eat bugs on stage.

Additionally, attendees can enjoy live music, food vendors and arts and crafts. 

Casey said the city is expecting thousands of people on Saturday. In 2019, the event drew about 6,000 attendees, and more than 3,000 guests were at last year’s festival. 

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.