Right Whale Festival Returns to Fernandina Beach Nov. 7-8: Free Admission, Hours and What to Know About the Endangered Whales Off Our Coast

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. - The 2026 Right Whale Festival returns to Main Beach Park in Fernandina Beach on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8, with free admission, live music, food trucks and educational exhibits about endangered North Atlantic right whales. According to the festival's official website, the event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 32 N. Fletcher Ave. The festival focuses on the whales' annual return to coastal waters off Northeast Florida and Georgia, where the species uses southeastern waters as important calving grounds.

The event offers 13 hours of scheduled festival time across the two days, based on the hours published by organizers. Amelia Island's official tourism website confirms the Nov. 7-8 dates, Main Beach location and free admission for all ages. The Nassau County events calendar also lists the festival at the North Fletcher Avenue address.

1. When and Where Is the Right Whale Festival?

The Right Whale Festival takes place at Main Beach Park, 32 N. Fletcher Ave., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034, according to the event's official website. Admission is free, and the festival is scheduled across two consecutive days. The hours provide eight hours of activities Saturday and five hours Sunday.

Amelia Island's tourism website separately identifies the festival as a free event for all ages. Nassau County's calendar confirms the dates and location, providing another official listing for the gathering. The festival's own website supplies the daily operating hours and describes the activities planned for the weekend.

2. What Activities Will Be at the Festival?

The festival's official website lists live music, food trucks, art and gifts, interactive displays and athletic events among the planned activities. The event also includes ocean-themed activities and educational exhibits concerning marine wildlife and environmentally responsible products. Organizers describe the festival as a celebration of the annual return of North Atlantic right whales to waters off Northeast Florida and Georgia.

The exhibits are intended to raise awareness of the threats facing the endangered species, according to the festival website. The event combines those educational displays with food, entertainment and other activities at Main Beach Park. The published description includes opportunities to learn about the whales and the coastal environment associated with their seasonal presence.

The festival also provides information for people interested in participating as sponsors, exhibitors or volunteers. According to the official website, details are available through its Get Involved page. The listed contact email is [email protected], and the festival provides a mailing address through the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in Clearwater, Florida.

3. Why Do North Atlantic Right Whales Come to This Coast?

North Atlantic right whales use southeastern United States coastal waters as calving grounds, according to NOAA Fisheries. The agency identifies waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida as part of the species' southeastern calving region. NOAA lists the Southeast as the whales' calving region.

NOAA identifies designated critical habitat for calving along the southeastern coast, extending from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to an area below Cape Canaveral, Florida. The geographic area includes coastal waters associated with the whales' seasonal presence in the region. The festival is held in early November, shortly before the Nov. 15 start of the southeastern calving and nursery season period that NOAA lists for vessel speed rules.

The connection between the whales and the southeastern coastline is central to the festival's educational purpose. According to the event organizers, the gathering celebrates that seasonal return while providing information about threats to the animals. NOAA's description of the calving grounds supplies the biological context for the festival's focus on Northeast Florida and Georgia.

4. How Many North Atlantic Right Whales Remain?

NOAA Fisheries estimates that approximately 380 North Atlantic right whales remain, making the species' population relatively small. The agency reports that the population has increased by roughly 20 whales since 2020. Its October 2025 population estimate was 384 whales, with a range of plus 10 and minus 9, for the population at the beginning of 2024.

The agency also estimates that only about 70 North Atlantic right whales are reproductively active females. That figure represents a smaller group within the overall population and is relevant to the species' reproduction in southeastern calving grounds. NOAA publishes these estimates as part of its information about the endangered species.

The festival's educational purpose includes explaining the threats facing this population, according to the event's website. NOAA identifies entanglement as a widespread problem, estimating that more than 85% of North Atlantic right whales have experienced at least one entanglement. Those figures provide context for the conservation information highlighted by festival organizers.

5. What Rules Apply When Someone Encounters a Right Whale?

NOAA rules require vessels and other watercraft to remain at least 500 yards, or 1,500 feet, from a North Atlantic right whale, according to NOAA Fisheries. The restriction applies to vessels, kayaks, surfboards and jet skis, as well as aircraft, including drones. The agency states that people should not approach right whales or attempt to free an entangled animal.

NOAA provides several methods for reporting whale sightings along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. The reporting telephone number is 877-WHALE-HELP, or 877-942-5343, and sightings can also be reported through Coast Guard VHF channel 16 or the Whale Alert app. NOAA additionally lists an enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964.

The reporting information is separate from the required minimum approach distance. NOAA's guidance addresses both ordinary sightings and situations involving entangled whales. The agency directs people not to approach or attempt to free an entangled whale, while providing established reporting channels for notifying authorities.

6. What Vessel Speed Restrictions Help Protect Right Whales?

NOAA Fisheries also maintains vessel speed restrictions in designated Seasonal Management Areas intended to reduce the risk of collisions with North Atlantic right whales. Most vessels measuring 65 feet or longer must travel at 10 knots or less in those areas during the applicable dates. The restrictions vary by geographic area and season, according to the agency's vessel-strike prevention guidance.

For the southeastern calving and nursery area, NOAA identifies a seasonal period running from Nov. 15 through April 15. The agency describes that area's boundaries using latitudes of 31 degrees 27 minutes north and 29 degrees 45 minutes north. Those coordinates define the published geographic limits associated with that particular seasonal management area.

NOAA separately identifies a migratory-route management area operating from Nov. 1 through April 30. That area extends within 20 nautical miles of shore between Wilmington, North Carolina, and Brunswick, Georgia. The agency's published descriptions distinguish the migratory-route area from the southeastern calving and nursery area, with separate seasonal dates for each. The NOAA page does not name Fernandina Beach or Jacksonville, so it is not clear from that page whether either area falls inside these zones.

7. Where Is Main Beach Park and How Can Organizers Be Contacted?

Main Beach Park is located at 32 N. Fletcher Ave. in Fernandina Beach, according to the festival's official website and Nassau County's event calendar. The Amelia Island tourism website also identifies Main Beach as the location of the Nov. 7-8 gathering. All three sources list the same weekend for the festival.

The festival website provides contact information for organizers and information about sponsorship, exhibition and volunteer participation. Its published mailing address is care of Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767. The organization's Get Involved page contains the participation information referenced by festival organizers.

The festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Those hours and the free-admission policy are the principal visitor details published by the organizers. The official festival website also describes the educational exhibits, entertainment and other activities associated with the weekend.

8. What Other Nassau County Events Are Scheduled in November?

Nassau County's official calendar lists additional community activities later in November, including an animal adoption event and a fundraising activity associated with Nassau County Animal Services. The Pet Supermarket dog adoption event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The calendar places that event at 1416 Sadler Road in Fernandina Beach.

Another calendar listing identifies Puppy Yoga on Sunday, Nov. 22, beginning at 10 a.m. The event is scheduled for 86078 License Road and benefits Nassau County Animal Services. Both events appear on the county calendar separately from the Right Whale Festival.

The Right Whale Festival remains scheduled for the preceding weekend, Nov. 7-8, at Main Beach Park. Its official listing identifies free admission, 13 combined hours of activities and a program centered on the annual return of endangered North Atlantic right whales. The festival website, Amelia Island tourism listing and Nassau County calendar all confirm the two-day event in Fernandina Beach.