# Event Details - **Event Name**: 2026 Herring Festival - **Event Start and End Date**: Sun, 17 May, 2026 at 11:00 am – Sun, 17 May, 2026 at 03:00 pm - **Event Description**: Join us on Sunday, May 17th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm for a community art build, food, performances, and fun activities for all ages!About this EventA FISH MIGRATION CELEBRATION! Each spring, the Charles River becomes a vital spawning ground for diadromous fish species such as the Alewife, Blueback Herring, American Shad, and Rainbow Smelt. These fish are key players in the local ecosystem and are a historical representation of Indigenous food sovereignty and cultural ways of life.  Join us for our annual celebration of fish migration to honor the herring with an afternoon of free, family fun! This year, we are also premiering a community artwork titled “River Run”, developed in collaboration with muralist Sophy Tuttle. This piece is inspired and informed by the Indigenous experience with dams, including Watertown Dam, and the negative impacts they caused. Additionally, it is shaped by the community contributions from Herring Festival 2025, and the fish scales attendees decorated and installed on the large-scale Herring poster. The project was made possible by Watertown’s Edible Watertown Grant - Expert Pairings program, and we look forward to sharing it with you all! Enjoy the spring weather, watch the fish migrate up the fish ladder, participate in a community art project, and eat from local food vendors! This year we also encourage you to bring a cotton t-shirt, tote bag, or other clothes to make your very own print design at one of our art booths!ACTIVITIES: Performances and talk from the Wampanoag singers and dancers Print your own clothes (Please bring cotton or canvas clothing to print on!) Make your own fish hatsFace paintingFishing demonstrationLocal food from farmers’ market vendorsDam tours, hosted by CRWA River Restoration Director Lisa Kumpf, speaking to Watertown Dam and the challenges it faces.SEEKING VOLUNTEERS:We are seeking volunteers to help set up (morning shift) and break down (afternoon shift) the herring festival! Interested in volunteering? Click here, scroll down to the May 17 date, and sign up for your preferred time slot. Thank you to our partners, Watertown Helps Out.PLEASE NOTE: We encourage patrons to walk or bike to the event as parking may be limited. To enter the Festival space, please navigate to DCR’s Dealtry Memorial Pool Parking. ACCESSIBILITY: This area is partially accessible with paved primary walking paths and some stalls being on uneven ground or packed earth.  https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/ec14c1f0-4eb0-11f1-be3c-5d1f450c2704-rimg-w1110-h740-dc161811-gmir.jpg https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/ec574930-4eb0-11f1-be3c-5d1f450c2704-rimg-w1110-h740-dca6937b-gmir.jpg https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/ec920840-4eb0-11f1-be3c-5d1f450c2704-rimg-w1110-h740-dcb8bac6-gmir.jpg - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/watertown/2026-herring-festival/100001985512091113 - **Event Categories**: Art, Festivals, Music, fine-arts - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 4 hours - Location: 64 Pleasant St - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Watertown - **state**: MA - **country**: United States - **location**: 64 Pleasant St - **lat**: 42.365773 - **long**: -71.188299 - **full address**: 64 Pleasant St, 64 Pleasant Street, Watertown, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: 2026 Herring Festival - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/4067bdb5f1e8afa665abca7a55cc67f52fcddc4e45090914ade66b28c3ee9101-rimg-w1200-h600-dceaf0fd-gmir.jpg?v=1774154353 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is 2026 Herring Festival being held? - **A:** 2026 Herring Festival takes place on Sun, 17 May, 2026 at 11:00 am to Sun, 17 May, 2026 at 03:00 pm at 64 Pleasant St, 64 Pleasant Street, Watertown, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing 2026 Herring Festival? - **A:** 2026 Herring Festival is organized by Charles River Watershed Association. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** 2026 Herring Festival is ideal for festival lovers, culture enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a vibrant, immersive community experience. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Watertown, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If 2026 Herring Festival sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "2026 Herring Festival", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/4067bdb5f1e8afa665abca7a55cc67f52fcddc4e45090914ade66b28c3ee9101-rimg-w1200-h600-dceaf0fd-gmir.jpg?v=1774154353", "startDate": "2026-05-17", "endDate": "2026-05-17", "url": "https://allevents.in/watertown/2026-herring-festival/100001985512091113", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "64 Pleasant St", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "64 Pleasant Street", "postalCode": "02472", "addressLocality": "Watertown", "addressRegion": "MA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "42.365773", "longitude": "-71.188299" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Join us on Sunday, May 17th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm for a community art build, food, performances, and fun activities for all ages!", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-04", "availabilityEnds": "2026-05-17", "validFrom": "2026-09-04", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/watertown/2026-herring-festival/100001985512091113" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-04", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-04", "url": "https://allevents.in/watertown/2026-herring-festival/100001985512091113", "price": 0, "name": "General Admission" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Charles River Watershed Association", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/charles-river-watershed-association/23041139", "description": "Since 1965, Charles River Watershed Association has been the voice of the river. Formed by a group of concerned citizens who raised alarm about the declining health of the Charles River, we are one of the oldest watershed organizations in the country.In the fifty years since our founding, CRWA has guided the transformation of our river from the “Dirty Water” of the past–rife with industrial pollution, sewage, trash, and even cars–to the Charles River we know and love today, one of the cleanest, most celebrated urban rivers in the country. Today, the Charles River is once again a living river–but the work is far from over. New challenges have emerged that threaten to undermine our progress; climate change, stormwater pollution, and addressing environmental injustice. But we are rising to meet the moment–taking a regional approach to climate solutions, working with nature rather than against it with nature-based solutions, and centering environmental justice–to ensure the collective flourishing of our watershed and all who call it home." } ] } ] ```