2026 Right Whale Festival

I spoke with Cheryl S. Munday, the Right Whale Festival coordinator. She shared a lot of great information and enthusiasm for the event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 at Main Beach Park, 32 N. Fletcher Ave., Fernandina Beach, Florida. Admission is free. This location is special because during calving season, mid-November to mid-April, you may actually see a North Atlantic right whale offshore at Main Beach if you are lucky.

Every year for 18 years, the Right Whale Festival has celebrated the annual return of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales to our local waters, where they give birth and nurse their young. We are so fortunate to witness such a miracle off our coast. Fewer than 380 North Atlantic right whales are known to exist in the Atlantic. The Right Whale Festival raises awareness of the threats to right whales, how we can protect them from extinction, and how we can help them recover successfully.

At the festival, families can enjoy ocean-themed activities, live music, food trucks, art and exhibits. The festival will emphasize education and environmentally responsible adventures and products.

Munday, who spent more than three decades as a marine mammal outreach specialist, said the festival was a collaborative effort among several partners working to support the survival and recovery of the North Atlantic right whale. The festival hosts are NOAA Fisheries and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, which collects aerial survey data on the North Atlantic right whale. Melanie White, a former aerial surveyor for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the current director and project manager for the Right Whale Conservation Program at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, leads the aerial surveys from Georgia to North Carolina.

Local festival partners include the Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, Blue World Research Institute from Cocoa Beach, Keep Nassau Beautiful and the Fernandina Beach News-Leader.

This year the festival will highlight the grassroots efforts of individuals and organizations in our community. Organizers are acknowledging the dedication of the individuals who created the Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, which has now become a nonprofit organization and is making major contributions to whale research and to public outreach in our area. The Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors are a great example of a successful grassroots effort that has made a major positive impact, highlighting the urgent plight of the North Atlantic right whale.

On the Friday before the festival, Story & Song Bookstore Bistro will present a lecture and luncheon that aligns with the festival’s theme, “Their Future, Our Fight.” This event will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Tickets are $25, which includes lunch, and can be purchased on the festival website. The theme is a call to action for individuals and groups of citizens to rise up, organize and make a difference, creating positive change. Speakers from organizations such as the Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, Blue World Research, the Marineland Right Whale Project and others across the Southeast will talk about their grassroots projects.

After the festival, at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at the Courtyard by Marriott Amelia Island, the Blue World Research Institute will host a Right Whale Sighting Training on how to report a right whale sighting off Amelia Island. This training is important because citizen sightings are actually used to warn boats about whales in the vicinity. This training is free and advance registration is not required.

The 2025-26 North Atlantic right whale calving season had the highest number of calves born in a single season since 2009, and the fourth-highest on record. A significant number of mothers had shortened time intervals between birthing calves. This is good news for the recovering population. You can see more information on the North Atlantic right whale calving season at NOAA Fisheries.

This is a good time to remember my dear friend, former writer for the Fernandina Observer, and right whale champion, Lauri Holton deGaris. Lauri was passionate about the North Atlantic right whale. She was a longtime volunteer at the Right Whale Festival, dating back to when the festival was held in Jacksonville. For many years, she displayed her shell art on Main Beach for all to appreciate, most often representing her beloved right whale and other marine creatures with hundreds of shells that were lovingly collected over many months. Her art was purposeful and temporary, enjoyed and then covered by wind-driven sand or washed away with the tide. Thank you, Lauri.