Annual 2026 Whale Festival

We're Back! We are excited to announce that the Whale Festival in Mendocino will be taking place on Saturday, March 7th. It all starts at CROWN HALL. Check in and start the chowder tasting at 11am which will continue until chowder is gone or 1pm. Then  come walk the village or take a trolley ride through town to visit the shops, inns and galleries who will be hosting our local Anderson Valley and Redwood Valley wineries and providing tasty appetizers to pair with them. To share the wineries pouring will be Husch, Meyer Family Cellars, Frey, Graziano, Brutocao, Barra, Navarro, SeaWolf, Roederer, Toulouse, Powicana , Murder Ridge,Bee Hunter and a variety from Winesong. Also, a new guest winery from Southern California is Sea Creatures, plus a variety of wines from Winesong.  Don't miss this opportunity to sample the fruit of our local wineries and southern partner.  

You can enjoy these wines while perusing some of the local shops and galleries, such as Prentice Gallery, Highlight Gallery,   Astoria Home Store,  Ledges Ocean Sports, Mendocino Sandpiper,and the Mendocino Country Store & MendoVino.   Also the trolley will take you to the tastings from 1-4pm at the  Agate Cove Inn, Sea Rock Inn, Hill House Inn, Seagull Inn, Meyer Family Cellars, Century 21, Engle & Volkers Real Estate, and Gnar Bar .

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND this year is the CHOWDER TASTING EVENT!  Yes!!   We will be once again, offering the best of the coast restaurants and culinary delights with chowder of all varieties that you can sample and also vote on for a People's Choice Award!  Just to whet your appetite, you will be able to sample chowder from Harvest Market, Patterson'sPub, SeaPal Cove, The Ravens, Mendo Soup , The Little River Inn, and Soul Community Planet (SCP).  Come early as this event sells out quickly!

A NEW addition to the day's events is a disco dance from 5-8pm at Crown Hall .  Reviving the 70's music is DJ Beet Roots. With a no-host bar and tasty bites you can come dance to the tunes of the disco era.  Put on your dancing shoes and your favorite outfit and party.

In addition, you won't want to miss the history of the Whale War, which was the forerunner of the current whale festivals.  Photo and art exhibits will be available at the Kelley House Museum as well as Prentice Gallery. More details coming soon.  

 For event information for the Fort Bragg 2026 Whale Festival activities, please keep an eye on our website as well as  https://visitfortbraggca.com/

    mendoparks.org/whale-festival,  https://pointcabrillo.org/self-guided-whale-trail/, t https://www.noyocenter.org/and the Mendocino Land Trust at The whales are still here and many other events are happening with regards to the whale migration, including guided whale walks and talks.  For information go to 

These events are being planned for the 2026 whale festival season.  

Enjoy Chowder, Wine, Appetizers, Art, Whale education and more surprises while exploring the beautiful village of Mendocino where there are plenty of whales to view from the surrounding Mendocino Headlands State Park. Taste some of Mendocino County's finest varietals in shops and galleries throughout Mendocino village.

Mendocino Whale Wars Exhibit

March 6th – 29th, 2026 at the Kelley House Museum

 

Few people know that the Mendocino Whale Festival started not as a party, but as a war: the Mendocino Whale War. In 1975, when Greenpeace captured footage of a Russian vessel slaughtering whales off the Mendocino Cape, it became the catalyst for a small group of concerned citizens to take action which included a dramatic anti-whaling campaign off the coast. The first Whale Festival was held that year in March, 1976 to educate the public about the plight of the endangered whales and to raise money for the voyage. Visit the Kelley House Museum during March to view posters, photographs, and news clippings in an exhibit curated by Mendocino High School student Sebastian Allen. The film, “The Boy Who Talks to Whales” will be viewable at the Kelley House Museum on March 7, 4-5:30 PM, during the Mendocino Whale Festival. Admission is $10. Museum open Fri - Sun, 11 AM -3 PM, 45007 Albion Street, Mendocino.