October 3-6, 2025
Art + Science + Food + Film
MENDOCINO + FORT BRAGG
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Photo by Marco Mazza
Memories from KelpFest! 2025
Join us for the Ribbon Cutting for the Noyo Harbor Icehouse with California Jobs First.
A magical sunset walk and gathering of purple urchin at low tide on the rise of the Super Full Moon.
Sequoias of the Sea tells the story of Mendocino County’s disappearing kelp forests and the devastating impact on coastal communities.
Join in the celebration as the Alleyway Art Project and North Coast Brewing Company celebrate Fort Bragg's newest, largest mural yet, The Gray Whale.
Dive deeply into the topic of regenerative aquaculture with a panel discussion hosted by the Noyo Center.
Learn about the Kelp RISES research into the question: how might different kelp restoration approaches account for ongoing climate change?
Tour the Urchin Ranch, a 40-foot shipping container where overabundant yet starving purple urchins are being fed in a recirculating aquaculture system to create delicious uni.
Sample Indigenous foods from land and sea plus browse an Indigenous market with local Pomo arts and crafts.
A dramatic chapter in coastal recovery—scientists, drones, and divers unite to bring bull kelp back to Mendocino’s shores.
Celebrate the completion of another year’s growth of the kelp forests and the beginning of a new season of renewal, which we hope will be even more robust than the last.
Join Curator Meyo Marrufo for a gallery tour of the Mómim Wené: Medicine Water exhibit, organized by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians' Exhibits and Collections Center.
Kelp art, science, and dance converge outside of Mendocino Art Center—join the celebration and Move Like a Kelp!
Join us for the Kelpfest Parade, a vibrant celebration of our ocean's kelp forests, designed especially for families and children!
Join your friends and neighbors in downtown Fort Bragg to peruse local art galleries, many with kelp-themed shows, that are open late for the occasion.
Explore Noyo Harbor’s vision for a resilient coast with presentations, community stories, and a kelp-themed First Friday.
2025 Events
Bull kelp forests are an immensely valuable part of the ocean’s ecosystem, absorbing carbon dioxide, mitigating storm erosion along the shoreline, and providing food and habitat for an abundance of sea creatures. These dense underwater forests stretch along the North American coast from Big Sur to Alaska.
Since 2014, bull kelp forests have been devastated by warming oceans and other impacts, with losses exceeding 96% along California’s North Coast. But through community awareness, research, and recovery efforts, kelp forests can again thrive off of our shores.
Image from The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp website, courtesy of Above/Below
Current Press
Healthy Bull Kelp Forest, photo by Patrick Webster