Highly-Anticipated Festival Of Whales Returns To Dana Point

DANA POINT, CA — A cherished Dana Point festival is returning to the Dana Point Harbor.

The 55th Annual Dana Point Festival of Whales will return for three days on March 6 through March 8.

The lively, family-friendly weekend will feature several community favorites, including the Magical Migration Parade, the Carnival and the Concert on the Water.

"Reaching the 55th anniversary of the Festival of Whales is incredibly meaningful for our family and for the entire Dana Point community," Donna Kalez, festival chair, said in a statement.

Kalez is also the owner of Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching, whose father, Don Hansen, launched the festival 55 years ago.

"When my father envisioned the festival in 1971, he could have never imagined that it would be thriving more than five decades later. Although we lost him in 2022, his legacy lives on through this event."

The Festival of Whales kicks off on Friday, March 6 at 4:30 p.m. with the "Welcoming of the Whales" Ceremony at the Ocean Institute. Later that day starting at 5 p.m., residents can enjoy a Festival of Whales Carnival.

The celebration continues Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m. with a highly-anticipated Magical Migration Parade. This year, the parade features a refreshed route starting at Casitas Place, moving west along Dana Point Harbor Drive toward Island Way and concluding across the bridge at the Richard Henry Dana Jr. Statue.

Other activities include the Cardboard Classic & Dinghy Dash, a Little Folk Club singalong experience, lectures on marine mammals by experts and the beloved Clam Chowder Cookout near Baby Beach.

For more information on the Festival of Whales, visit the website.