What to Know
- Grunion season begins in March, with both "Open Season" and "Closed Season" dates popping up through the later part of summer
- The phenomenon, which involves small fishes wriggling on land to spawn, happens at a number of beaches along the California coast
- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro offers a number of grunion-focused events, including the Grunion Fish-tival on April 21, 2023
There are numerous festivals in our festival-loving worlds, those outsized celebrations involving decorations, entertainment, activities, and all sorts of interesting foods and sips.
But when a Fish-tival swims into intriguing view, and you happen to be in Southern California, and springtime is on the briny wind, chances are as good as the ocean is wet that the grunions are probably involved.
If you've never encountered a small silversides fish performing its eons-old spawning rites on a beach but have long had this particular phenomenon at the top of your bucket list, the annual Grunion Fish-tival at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro will be your next must-get ticket.
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The Fish-tival is an entertaining and educational way to learn more about the sandy springtime spectacular when thousands of silvery grunions wriggle onto various beaches to spawn.
Nope, these small and slippery superstars don't check their calendars to see if they have any appointments or conflicts before heading onto land; rather, particular phases of the moon are involved, as they have long been for so many things over so many years.
Southern Californians may behold this remarkable rite of spring and summer, with some nights set aside strictly for observation and other evenings open to gathering grunions by hand.
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has posted the 2023 schedule, with both Closed Season and Open Season listed, as well as grunion-gathering requirements.
For people who wish to witness this damp dance close to Los Angeles, Grunion Fish-tival tickets are now available.
The shell-abration, er, celebration, happens at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on April 21 and will include opportunities to "hatch grunion eggs," create grunion-inspired crafts, and, yes, see the astounding event down near the ocean's edge.
Oh yes: The grunions are rather fond of late nights, what with following particular phases of the moon and all, so expect this awesome adventure to push close to midnight.
Other Meet the Grunion evenings are on the San Pedro-based aquarium's 2023 calendar if you can't make the Fishtival.
While those nights may not boast everything that the Fish-tival offers, in terms of activities and such, there's plenty to enjoy, with an informative talk, and a stroll to the beach to admire actual grunion, on the roster.
The first Meet the Grunion of the season will take place in April, with more to follow in May and June.
And while the grunions are legendary late-nighters, they don't always observe weekend visitations, which would be helpful for plenty of human fans.
Rather, they must adhere to "nights following a full or new moon," which often occur on weekdays.
By the by, "peak" spawning occurs in the April-to-June period, per Grunion.org. For more grunion goodness, swim by this helpful site faster than it takes a fish to wriggle out of the foam and onto wet sand to perform its ancient and awe-inspiring act.
