The 2025 Herring Festival will take place near the Watertown Dam on Sunday, May 18 beginning at 11 a.m. The event is hosted by the Charles River Watershed Association. See more details in the CRWA’s announcement below.
Join Charles River Watershed Association for the 2025 Herring Festival! Come and celebrate the annual migration of Alewife, Blueback Herring, and American Shad from the ocean into the Charles River. This free, family-friendly event will feature food trucks, community art activities, guided tours of the Watertown Dam, a live fishing demonstration and fun activities for all ages. We hope to see you there!
Each spring, the Charles River becomes a vital spawning ground for numerous fish species such as the Alewife, Blueback Herring, and American Shad. These fish and their annual migration hold cultural significance to the Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Nipmuc Nations – the past, present, and future caretakers of the Charles River and its watershed lands.
This is CRWA’s second annual Herring Festival and is part of the nonprofit’s 60th Anniversary Meet Your Watershed event series. Through the steadfast support of dedicated citizens in the watershed, CRWA has made great strides toward a healthy and resilient Charles River since its formation in 1965. Throughout 2025, CRWA is celebrating 60 years of progress through a series of events across the watershed.
WHAT: 2025 Herring Festival
WHO: Charles River Watershed Association
WHEN: Sunday, May 18, from 11 AM to 3 PM
WHERE: Watertown Dam – 64 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA, 02472
(To find the Festival space, please navigate to Dealtry Memorial Pool Parking.)