Labor Day weekend is the unofficial curtain call for summer, and in Eatonville, Washington, that means the tables are turned, literally. At Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, the last three days of the season belong to the animals, with special feedings, keeper talks, and enrichment demonstrations. It is, as the park puts it with a wink, a weekend to gobble, munch, and devour.
Feeding Frenzy returns September 5-7, 2026, running daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, 11610 Trek Drive East. All of the special programming is free with regular admission or membership.
Visitors can watch the park's animals enjoy favorite foods while learning from keepers. Special feeding demonstrations and keeper talks add an educational component to the regular wildlife-park experience, making it a perfect family outing for the holiday weekend.
Feeding Frenzy is one of several annual celebrations that give Northwest Trek's calendar its character, sitting alongside Slug Fest in summer, Pumpkin Chomp & Stomp in October, the spooky Hoot n' Howl, and December's Winter Wildland. But it returns to an institution with a remarkable origin story, one anchored in a single, generous act.
The park exists because of Dr. David “Doc” Hellyer and his wife, Connie. On August 23, 1971, they officially donated the land that would become Northwest Trek to Parks Tacoma. Construction began immediately, and the park was dedicated on July 17, 1975. Doc Hellyer described it as a place where “people, especially children, might experience animals in the dignity and beauty of a nearly wild state within a natural setting.”
Since its early years, Northwest Trek has maintained high standards of animal care and conservation. It earned accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in 1985, a demanding standard it has upheld ever since. In 2016, the opening of Kids' Trek, a half-acre nature play area, drew 3,122 visitors on its opening day – the highest attendance in park history. In 2019, the expansive Eagle Passage habitat opened, doubling the space for the park's resident bald eagles.
For families heading to Feeding Frenzy this Labor Day, the event offers a chance to see the park's animals up close and learn from the dedicated keepers who care for them. It's a fitting way to celebrate nature, wildlife, and summer's grand finale – and a reminder of the vision that started it all more than fifty years ago.