About KelpFest!
North Coast Kelpfest! is a cultural response to an ecological crisis. Rather than approaching kelp forest decline solely as an environmental issue, we bring together food, art, science, education, and community to reconnect people with California’s coastal ecosystems. Through shared meals, field experiences, lectures, performances, and workshops, the festival highlights both the extraordinary biodiversity of our shoreline and the urgent challenges facing our kelp forests.
Now in its third year, Kelpfest! has grown into a unique gathering of tribal leaders, commercial fishermen, divers, scientists, artists, chefs, students, environmental organizations, government agencies, and coastal communities.
The festival’s mission is to foster a deeper relationship with California’s coastal ecosystems and inspire long-term stewardship through culture. By bringing people into direct relationship with the species, landscapes, and communities that make up the kelp forest, North Coast Kelpfest! demonstrates that conservation is not only a scientific endeavor, but also a cultural one in which the entire community participates.
How KelpFest! Got Started
The first North Coast KelpFest! was held from mid-May to mid-June 2024, bringing art, science, food and film together to celebrate kelp forests on California’s north coast. This series of events, held over 5 weekends, were part of a broader ocean literacy campaign to raise awareness about the decline of kelp forests on California’s North Coast and to support the kelp recovery work underway at Big River, led by the Nature Conservancy with support from the Ocean Protection Council and California Sea Grant.
The second annual KelpFest! 2025 took place over 5 days, October 3-6, 2025. Shifting the events to the fall aligned with the end of the annual growing cycle of bull kelp and allowed the Big River Kelp Recovery Project team to complete another season of work and share their two-year restoration successes at KelpFest! Marianna Leuschel and Josie Iselin, Co-Directors of Above/Below and science communication/community engagement partners on the Big River team, led a Steering Committee with representatives from 10 community organizations in a highly collaborative planning process to host KelpFest! the first two years.
In early 2026, KelpFest! was reformed to become its own entity, with the Arts Council of Mendocino County as its fiscal sponsor and with support from Pacific Coast Ocean Restoration (PCOR) Initiative. The Steering Committee is co-chaired this year by Lia Morsell, with plans to further integrate the festival into the community and scale the events and programs to bring even more visitors to the Mendocino Coast to learn about and celebrate the oceans. Mark your calendars!The third annual North Coast KelpFest! is scheduled on the low tide weekend of October 9–12, 2026, in Mendocino and Fort Bragg. A schedule with event details will be available in August of this year.
Our Mission
KelpFest! is an annual celebration of kelp and its vital role in the Mendocino coast’s ecosystems, cultures, and coastal economies. Through art, science, food, and film, KelpFest! highlights restoration successes, invites curiosity and joy, and strengthens connections between community members, local businesses, community scientists, and conservation partners across the North Coast.
Rooted in place and inspired by the ocean as a source of creativity, KelpFest! promotes ocean literacy, eco-tourism, regenerative economies, and shared stewardship—bridging land and sea while strengthening coastal identity, health, and collective resilience.
Together, we are turning the tide on kelp recovery.
Imua kakou — going forward together.