The California Seaweed Festival is always free and open to the public — from presentations to music to mermaids, activities, tastings and the vendor and exhibitor fair. We also offer some extra tours and workshops that require a ticket. Here is the spectacular 2026 Workshop and Tour lineup and a link to get your tickets!
Ticketed Workshops & Tours
Friday, October 23
8 am to noon - Intro to the Kelp Forest Scuba Dive
A local kelp forest discovery and ecology dive around Monterey hosted by Aquarius Dive Shop and Reef Check.
10, 10:30, 11, and 11:30 am - Behind-the-Scenes Aquaculture Tours
An in-depth look at the aquaculture research conducted at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, including collaborations with Monterey Bay Seaweeds, Monterey Bay Abalone Company, and the White Abalone Project.
noon to 1:30 pm - Seaweeds of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
[with Ariel Hunter]
This introductory workshop will cover the basics of seaweed identification, focusing on species found throughout the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
1 to 3 pm - Breaking the Wall: Enzymatic Isolation of Protoplast from Green and Brown Seaweeds [with Dr. José Avila Peltroche]
Hands-on experience in isolating protoplasts (cells without cell walls) from green and brown marine macro-algae, using enzymatic isolation techniques: cellulase and macerozyme for green seaweeds, and cellulase with alginate lyase for brown seaweeds.
2 to 4 pm - Art of Kelp: Illustrating California Seaweeds [with Andrea Dingeldein]
Join illustrator, naturalist, and educator Andrea Dingeldein (“The Local Naturalist”) to learn about illustrating seaweeds in watercolor. In this 2-hour workshop, Andrea will walk through the process from reference collection to completed illustration.
3:30 to 5 pm - Wrack and Roll at Asilomar Beach Tour
Take a fun walk along Asilomar State Beach to explore the fascinating world of beach wrack with a professional naturalist! As the tide recedes, washed-up seaweed reveals a hidden ecosystem, including colorful algae, an array of marine invertebrates, and an occasional bird carcass. Come see what the ocean leaves behind!
11 am to 2 pm - Sunflower Star Lab Tours
Tour Sunflower Star Lab’s full scale conservation aquaculture facility to see how the team is growing juvenile sunflower stars to aid in the recovery of this species, which was devastated by a wasting disease starting in 2013. Learn about the processes of spawning, cryopreservation and fertilization, how algae is grown as an essential first feed for larval sea stars, and how the local extinction of sunflower stars has impacted our coastal ecosystem. Visit sunflowerstarlab.org to learn more.
Tours are free of charge, first come-first served. No tickets required.
11 am to 2 pm - Western Flyer Tours
The sardine boat Western Flyer was chartered by writer John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts in 1940 for an expedition to the Sea of Cortez, and has a long and rich history along the Pacific Coast. Literally raised from the sea bottom near Anacortes, WA in 2013, the boat was painstakingly restored and now served as a working research vessel and floating classroom based out of Moss Landing Marina. Visit westernflyer.org to learn more.
Tours are free of charge, first come-first served. No tickets required.
Free Tours, Friday, October 23 at Moss Landing Marina
Ticketed Workshops & Tours
Saturday, October 24
9:30am - Conservation Storytelling [with Evan Schwartz]
Get group and individual help writing your climate change story for any medium. Writer Evan Schwartz was trained by Former Vice President and award-winning film marker, Al Gore, in communicating climate change stories such as The Kelp Comeback: Underwater Forests Return to Life off the California Coast, for Smithsonian Magazine.9:30am - From Algae to Ink: Create Your Own Natural Ink [with Jenny Gil]
In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn how to make your own ink using algae as a natural and sustainable material. Explore the creative potential of algae, experiment with color and texture, and create an ink that you can use for your own artwork. At the end of the workshop you will take home your own ink!11:00 am & 1:00pm - Behind the Scenes Aquaculture at Monterey Abalone Company
Get an up close look at how abalone is sustainably raised at the Monterey Abalone Company, located at the Monterey Municipal Wharf, about 1/3 mile from Custom House Plaza. This tour descends under the wharf to view the operations, and includes about a mile total of walking from the pier entrance to the tour and back.11:30 am - Sea to Soil: Seaweed Powered Planting Workshop [with Ocean Rainforest]
Hands-on ways to incorporate seaweed-based products into your garden. You’ll plant local seeds provided by Farmhand Foundation in an Ocean Made Kelp Pot, give them a boost with Ocean Rainforest’s MakroBoost seaweed biostimulant, and explore gardening equipment and composting solutions from Sway and Viable Gear. Come get your hands in the soil, learn how ocean-grown resources can support healthy plants, and leave with the tools for your own home garden!1:30 pm - Make Seaweed Sunprints [with Sahrye Cohen]
Use the sun and seaweed, marine debris and other natural objects to create blue and white cyanotypes, also known as sun prints. This workshop is inspired by the work of Anna Atkins whose 1843 book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, is the first photo book ever made! Beginner friendly, no experience needed. Suitable for ages 8+ with an accompanying adult.1:30 pm - Integrated Beaded Jellyfish [with Gwenevere Persaud]
Join The Persaud Foundation for a 1.5 hour long integrated lecture and workshop all about jellyfish. Following a short lecture, we will be hosting a hands-on workshop on designing your very own beaded jellyfish. Leave with more knowledge on the fascinating world of jellyfish, and a beautiful beaded jellyfish! Suitable for ages 8+ with an accompanying adult.3:30 pm - Between Tide and Paper [with Mai Ryuno and Emily Gottlieb]
Learn basic seaweed identification and the art and science of seaweed pressing. Everyone will create their own mixed-media, pressed art pieces to bring home and will contribute to a collaborative artwork. Artist Mai Ryuno, founder of Play Full Ground Studio, and local ecologist Emily Gottlieb are collaborating on a project called Coastal Conversations, where people with different kinds of knowledge and ways of seeing are invited to participate in collaborative creative experiments.
