Celebration of the Whales Festival
OXNARD, Calif.—Visitors who attend the 22nd Annual Celebration of the Whales Festival at the Channel Islands Harbor are going to be in for a variety of surprises.
This year’s event will feature new family-friendly activities, chalk art, and prize drawings that include whale watching excursions for the entire family.
The event is being held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 24, 2019. Activities will be held at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, the Channel Islands Harbor Farmers Market, and a “Gray Whale Migration Trail” along the marina path that connects the two activity centers.
Gray Whale Migration Trail
Children and adults can both enjoy the migration trail, which will be lined with educational activities and more than 20 pieces of sidewalk chalk art.
To participate in the migration trail, families can pick up a special whale hat, passport, and map that helps navigate the route. Hats, passports, and the map can be picked up at designated booths at the Farmers Market or Maritime Museum.
Stops along the trail include “Whale of a Selfie,” “Become a Whale Detective,” “Become a Whale Explorer,” and “Become a Whale Designer.” If participants complete the four stops on the trail, they will be eligible to win whale watching tickets (courtesy of Island Packers and Channel Islands Whale Watching) along with a variety of other prizes.
Channel Islands Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum will host the Celebration of the Whales. At the Museum, there will be interactive and educational booths including a touch tank, family-friendly activities including arts and crafts, a bounce house, live entertainment, contests, prizes and food trucks. Admission to the museum will be free and inside visitors can enjoy short documentaries, knot tying demonstrations and more.
Channel Islands Farmers Market
The Farmers Market will feature an arts and crafts market, children’s activities, whale facts, and educational booths.
The Celebration of Whales Festival is a collaborative event among Harbor lessees, businesses, and the Ventura County Harbor Department that celebrates the migration of the Pacific Gray Whale.
As the first recreational harbor in Ventura County, Channel Islands Harbor has become one of the largest in California. It now includes over 300 acres of land and water, but the initial development included only a small portion of the current harbor area. Additional construction took place over the years, including the west channel of the harbor, along Harbor Boulevard and Peninsula Road. Development of the harbor has been largely accomplished through leases with private developers, who have constructed eight marinas (not including the three constructed by the County) comprising over 2200 boat slips, two hotels, two yacht club buildings, two boat yards, three shopping areas, restaurants, a Maritime Museum, over 100 condominiums and 485 apartments. In addition, public agencies have provided parks, restrooms, the public launch ramp and parking for the public. For more information on Channel Islands Harbor visit www.channelislandsharbor.org.
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