About
The Whole Earth Festival began in 1969 as a small art class project ("Art Happening") on the UC Davis Quad. The students used art to teach visitors about the realms of activism, wellness, and environmental sustainability in an interactive and creative way. Following the United Nations' recognition of Earth Day in 1970, the event was renamed to the Whole Earth Festival, fondly nicknamed as "WEF," and has since evolved into a free student-run event, attracting over 30,000 visitors annually on Mother's Day weekend. Whole Earth Festival has historically occurred at the UC Davis Quad, with a recent move to Russell Field for the 2024 year.
A Family Friendly & Zero-Waste Event
The Whole Earth Festival is a family-friendly event. The Regents of the University of California, owners of the UC Davis campus, do not allow drug use on any of its UC campuses. Thank you for keeping our event drug-free. This includes but is not limited to alcohol, tobacco (in both smoke and vapor forms), stimulants, cannabis, hallucinogens, depressants, narcotics, and inhalants. The Whole Earth Festival is a zero-waste event. We have volunteers actively sorting recyclables and compost from the bins. Please do your part to help out and dispose of your "waste" in appropriate bins.
When & Where
Mother's Day Weekend: May 10-12, 2024
Friday: 12:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M.
Saturday: 10:00 A.M.-10:00 P.M.
Sunday: 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
Location: Russel Field at UC Davis (campus map)
Transportation
May is Bike Month! We encourage everyone who is able to ride their bicycles as an alternative form of transportation. Unitrans & Yolobus provide free transportation to undergraduate students. There is a fare for non-undergraduate students. Information on fares for Unitrans can be found here and for Yolobus here. Unitrans will be extending their regular hours for the P & Q lines on Friday and Saturday.
- Friday: 9:10 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. departure from the Memorial Union terminal
- Saturday: 7:10 p.m., 8:10 p.m., 9:10 p.m., and 10:10 p.m. departure from the Memorial Union terminal
Parking on campus is free outside the specified times below. Otherwise, it is $16.
- Friday: 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m.
- Saturday: 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 8:30 a.m. -6 p.m.
For convenient parking, we recommend visitors to use the Quad Parking Structure, Lot 25, or Pavilion Parking Structure.
Free parking is also available throughout the city of Davis. Note about dogs and trees
Dogs are welcome, but they must be on a leash and be with their owners at all times for the safety of other festival goers and dogs who attend.
Please don't climb the trees as a favor to our woodsy friends.
Questions?
Visit the Festival Dome if you have any questions during the festival! You can find the location of the Festival Dome on the map of our program (updated map is soon to come!). You can also visit our FAQ page or contact us if you have any other questions!
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