The Wonderful World of Whales
The Pacific Rim Whale Festival celebrates the return of migratory giants: whales!
Originally started in the 1980s, the festival began as a way to raise awareness of the endangered Grey whale populations. It now happens every March as the whales return to their summer feeding grounds here and in the north, passing the West Coast through Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds en route.
This year, the festival runs March 14 – 21, throughout Tofino, Ucluelet, and in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. With events like the Parade of Whales and Wonders, Chowder Chowdown, and Baleen Bash, you’ll want to be here for this family-friendly event!
TLDR: Pacific Rim Whale Fest: history, events, what's happening this year, whale watching discounts, education and a personal interview with the Festival Director.
We sat down with Sarah Watt, the festival Director, to get the inside scoop on all things Pacific Rim Whale Festival 2026, and its origin story.
Q: So, the festival started with a lot of collaboration between different organizations, and that's so beautiful. And a lot of the event is about education, right?
A: “Yes, education focused on the Grey whale migration. It’s a species that was endangered, and then recovered and, right now, is, unfortunately, in decline.” With more recent Grey whale mortality events in the past few years, there are concerns about their populations. For Sarah, this means that “[Whale Fest] can bring researchers from outside [the West Coast] to share their work. And it's not just about what's happening locally, in the waters around Clayoquot and Barkley Sound, because whales are migratory. They don't know borders, so what happens down in Mexico impacts us, what happens up in the Arctic impacts us.”
“[Whale Fest] is educational because it covers both the fundamentals of whales and local wildlife, as well as up-to-date information on population trends and other current developments, making it valuable for anyone looking to deepen their understanding.”
“I love to make it available to the guides who are working out on the water here, so that they can take in this knowledge, and then when they go out on the water for the rest of the year, they can feed that back to guests,” meaning that there is educational continuity after the event.
Q: Speaking of introductory education, will the Build-A-Whale (now run by Redd Fish Restoration Society) be available this year?
A: “Yes, we’ve got to have [Build-A-Whale] every year - it’s such an amazing hands-on activity for children!”
Q: For anyone who doesn't know what that is, can you explain it a little bit?
A: “The Build-A-Whale is a real-life skeleton of an orca, or a killer whale, and it basically is a life-size puzzle that children can piece together. You learn the anatomy of a whale and you get to really see the size of it.”
The skeleton on display is that of a female offshore orca, and there are educators on hand to ask questions about orcas – like their different ecotypes. “Actually, one of the ways that you identify these different killer whales is through their teeth,” which will be on display to compare at the event.
Other fun things happening for Maritime Kids Days? “This year, we've got the Ocean Wise Sea Dome,” Sarah explains, “a six-metre dome, which up to 20 children can go inside and feel a part of the underwater world of the Pacific Northwest" with 4k video!
Q: Do we have speakers coming this year?
A: Local expert, Dr. Jim Darling, will be opening the festival with a talk on Saturday, March 14, at the Remote Passages Marine Excursions building. He will be providing an update on the status of Grey whales, with insights from the calving lagoons in Mexico. If you can't make this event, there are more opportunities throughout the week for research updates, including a presentation by Mark Sawyer (Whales of Clayoquot and Barkley) with information on local monitoring of Grey whale body condition.
The Raincoast Education Society Speaker Series this year is all about Animal Journeys, and the one during Whale Fest is about Grey whale migrations with Dr. Aimée Lang, who will be sharing insights into the status of eastern North Pacific Grey whales based on monitoring their migratory routes and highlighting the importance of understanding movement for effective conservation and management, which will be on Zoom on March 19.
Q: What are you most excited for about Whale Fest this year?
A: “I love our classics, like Maritime Kid’s Days,” she says, “and I am excited we have some more art workshops happening.” One is family-friendly nature journaling with Bea Martin on March 15 – bring your own art supplies, or purchase some for $5 and she will teach techniques for nature journaling. “It’s a new way we are going to explore the tidepools,” she shares, “which is a real mindful activity, and you don’t need to be an artist – it’s how Darwin started observing and recording nature.” There’s another on March 16, in collaboration with Parks Canada Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, where the focus will be on recording animal signs in nature and how to look for clues.
Q: And how much does it cost to participate in the events, Sarah?
A: “Suggested donation for an adult button is $10, and gets you into all the button events for the entire week, and children and concessions are $5. Ticketed events are individually priced and details can be found under our events tab on PacificRimWhaleFestival.com"
Q: Sarah, how did you get interested in whales? What was your journey?
A: “I was obsessed, as a kid. I grew up in the city, in Bristol, […] and was always a fan of Animal Planet - some of my earliest memories are racing home from school - I wanted to beat my sister, so I could put on Animal Planet," she gushes.
Whales were an animal she had never seen before and shares that they “seemed like an alien, otherworldly creature that kept me really curious.” Then came the tear-jerker movie ‘Free Willy,’ which led her down a path to study Conservation Biology, and take on research positions with hyenas and then whale sharks in the Philippines. Sarah continued to dream about seeing whales, and made the leap to move to the West Coast after hearing about Tofino, “a place where the rainforest meets the ocean,” as she puts it. A stop off in Alaska is where she had her first whale encounter, which had her hooked.
Sarah got hired at Jamie’s Whaling Station as a naturalist and was able to share her joy about the ocean with people from around the world. “You get people from the cities who don’t really know much about the ocean. They are going away with all this new knowledge that they can then go and share. You forget that this is not accessible for everyone, and it is special when visitors come out and experience it for the first time.”
Fun fact: Your button also gets you discounts around town! Participating whale watching businesses in town are offering discounts on your whale watching trip during Whale Fest with your button. Every year, there is a button design contest with the local school kids, and the winning designs will be on your pin!
Looking for a place to stay during Whale Fest? Tofino Resort + Marina is offering 15% off your stay during the festival from March 14 – 21, 2026, with the promo code “WhaleFest” – kids also get a free whale watching seat with every adult ticket purchased from March 14 – 31, 2026, at the Tofino Resort + Marina Adventure Centre.
When people ask Sarah “What time of year should I come out?” she always says spring: “March, or early April, is my favourite time for whales.” She mentioned there have already been whale spouts spotted off the Wild Pacific Trail this year. Will we be seeing you this spring?
