The 18th annual Right Whale Festival returns to Main Beach Park in Fernandina Beach on Nov. 7-8, bringing two days of free family activities, live music and marine conservation exhibits to Amelia Island.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at 32 N. Fletcher Ave. Admission is free.

The 2026 theme is "Their Future, Our Fight," reflecting the continuing effort to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Festival coordinator Cheryl S. Munday, a marine mammal outreach specialist with more than three decades of experience, told the Fernandina Observer the event is "a collaborative effort among several partners working to support the survival and recovery of the North Atlantic right whale."

Festival celebrates record calving season

The festival follows the most productive North Atlantic right whale calving season in 17 years.

Researchers identified 23 calves during the 2025-26 season, the highest number since 2009, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Despite the increase, the species remains critically endangered. NOAA estimates approximately 380 North Atlantic right whales survive, including about 70 reproductively active females.

On Jan. 16, an aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute spotted a right whale known as Magic and her calf approximately 10 miles east of Amelia Island.

The annual calving season runs from mid-November through mid-April, when pregnant whales migrate to warmer waters off Florida and Georgia to give birth. Whales can sometimes be spotted from Amelia Island's beaches during the season.

NOAA Fisheries and Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute are among the organizations supporting the festival. Melanie White, director of the institute's Right Whale Conservation Program, oversees research and monitoring efforts involving the endangered whales.

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

Organizers plan to highlight the work of Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, a nonprofit founded by Candis Whitney that supports whale research and public education.

"With less than 400 North Atlantic right whales in existence, it has never been more important to do what we can to help keep them alive," Whitney said at an Amelia Island documentary premiere in August.


Music, activities and whale exhibits

Families can explore interactive marine science displays, meet conservation experts and learn how to identify and protect North Atlantic right whales.

The festival also features live music, food trucks, art, educational activities and life-size inflatable whales.

Children can participate in an ocean-themed educational program, while visitors can learn about the vessels and equipment used in whale research and protection.

Nassau County Animal Services is also scheduled to offer sponsored dog adoptions during both festival days.

The festival honors the late Lauri Holton deGaris, a former Fernandina Observer writer and longtime volunteer known for creating elaborate whale-themed shell art on Main Beach. Her designs depicted right whales and other marine creatures using hundreds of shells collected over months.

Several activities are scheduled around the festival weekend.

Friday, Nov. 6: Story & Song Bookstore Bistro hosts a lecture and luncheon at 11:30 a.m. featuring representatives of Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, Blue World Research Institute, the Marineland Right Whale Project and other conservation organizations. Tickets are $25, including lunch, and are available through rightwhalefestival.com.

Saturday, Nov. 7: Keep Nassau Beautiful organizes a beach cleanup beginning at 9 a.m., before the festival opens. Volunteers will collect litter from the beach, access points and parking areas. Site captains will provide supplies.

Monday, Nov. 9: Blue World Research Institute hosts a free right whale sighting training session at 6 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott Amelia Island. Participants will learn how to identify whales and report sightings to support conservation research.

Additional festival activities and scheduling information are available at rightwhalefestival.com.