Come to Dana Point and Celebrate the Whales!

Well, it’s time once again to celebrate the majestic mammal of the ocean - the whale. And that’s just what we do in Dana Point. The 48th annual Festival of Whales means two weekends of family fun starting March 2-3 and concluding March 9-10. We kick it off with the Festival of Whales parade because who doesn’t love a parade! The grand finale is the Concert on the Water. Atop a floating stage at Baby Beach, three different bands provide continuous toe tapping, get your body moving music beginning at noon and going right on through 5:00 that evening. Stand-up paddle, kayake or just relax on the beach while tuning out the world and tuning into enjoyable sounds of live bands.

The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. March 2. Floats, giant helium balloons and other entries embrace the Magical Migration theme. It begins on PCH at Selva Road and ends at Golden Lantern, approximately 1 mile. There is FREE shuttle service to and from Harbor parking lots to the parade beginning at 9:00 so don’t worry about traffic and parking! Just watch and wave. [The parade is weather permitting.]

There are plenty of great, fun events to entertain the whole family throughout both weekends. You haven’t really experienced fun until you’ve seen the Cardboard Classic & Dinghy Dash. It begins with a cardboard boat building contest. The Dinghy Dash is the main event, featuring a beach full of intrepid sea captains racing their cardboard ships from Baby Beach, out to sea, around a buoy and back again, with nothing more than a paddle. There are various age categories for the races. The cardboard, duct tape, box cutter knife and sharpie pens are all provided. No outside materials are allowed. Come try your hand or just watch the racers. It’s fun. Its FREE.

For more information about the Festival and events, visit https://festivalofwhales.com/

Here are some fun facts about whales*:

• Blue whale is the largest animal to have lived on earth, larger than any dinosaur.
• Blue whale’s tongue can weigh as much as an elephant.
• Sperm whale’s brain weighs up to 20 pounds.
• Bowhead whale has the thickest blubber, up to 2 1/4 feet thick.
• Fin whale pees about 24 gallons each day.
• Beluga whales sound like little yellow birds. The are the “canaries of the sea.”
• Sperm whales make the loudest sounds.
• Humpback whales’ song is the most complex, sung only in warm waters.
• Humpback whales migrate further than any mammal, feeding in Antarctic and swimming north to breed.

*https://bit.ly/2BujwOy