The Whale Festival, a festive and educational afternoon in Orient Bay
The EDEN-I association, in partnership with Wind Adventures, the Saint Martin National Nature Reserve, the Mon École Ma Baleine association and the ATE of Saint Barthélemy, is organising the Whale Festival this Sunday, 22 February... always a very enriching event.
Free and open to all, this event aims to raise public awareness of cetacean conservation and, more broadly, marine environment protection, through a programme combining fun activities, scientific discoveries and opportunities for discussion.
From 2pm to 6.45pm on the forecourt of the Théâtre La Chapelle in Orient Bay, visitors will be able to meet many people committed to the environment thanks to information stands run by partner organisations. Educational games will be offered to children and families, as well as immersive experiences using virtual reality headsets, providing an interactive approach to the world of cetaceans. Younger visitors can enjoy free face painting (from 2.30pm) and express their creativity in a whale-themed drawing competition. They are sure to be highly motivated, as the prize is two tickets for a boat trip to see, who knows, some real-life specimens. The Whale Festival will conclude with a conference on whales and their conservation, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Théâtre de la Chapelle. Admission to this conference is free of charge.
This event is part of the BioWhale project, funded by the French Office for Biodiversity through the Agoa sanctuary. This project aims to improve knowledge and protection of marine mammals in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, particularly bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales, which visit the region's waters every year but remain exposed to numerous human and environmental pressures. Unfortunately, the regulations in force, whether in terms of observation or navigation in the vicinity of cetaceans, are not always respected.
Through this Whale Festival, the EDEN-I association and its partners wish to combine awareness-raising, knowledge sharing and conviviality in order to strengthen collective awareness around the protection of cetaceans present in the waters of the territory.
