The Lake Worth Lagoon gets its own festival on Saturday morning. LagoonFest takes over Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach on Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with boat tours on the lagoon itself, a wildlife bird release, free sailing trips, a kids zone and more than a dozen exhibitors from wildlife and marine groups. Admission is free, and the West Palm Beach GreenMarket runs next door the same morning.

The event's materials point to the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, and its 2026 activity outline lays out the day.

Out on the water

The Aqua Adventure Boat Tour leaves the North Dock at Clematis Street at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It is free, with scientists on board talking about the lagoon's history and restoration work, and seats go first come, first served.

The Hakuna Matata Catamaran Tour leaves the South Dock at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:15 p.m. It is a 45-minute guided ride on a 50-foot open-air catamaran, sponsored by Visit Palm Beach, with local scientists covering the lagoon's ecosystem and its plant, bird and sea life. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for kids under 12 and students with a school ID, and you need to register in advance at visitpalmbeach.com/lagoonfest. Check-in is at the podium on the dock, and refreshments are sold on board.

The Palm Beach Sailing Club offers free 30-minute sailing trips on a J22 keelboat, first come, first served, with sailing club lessons at the South Dock from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The ANGARI Foundation's research vessel is also at the South Dock, where visitors can climb aboard, learn about shark science and join a citizen science project called Lagoon Drift.

On the lawn

The Kids Zone, sponsored by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, is free and includes face painting, a gopher tortoise burrow, kids casting lessons with rod and reel giveaways, a shell hunt, mascot photos, lawn games and crafts. Mascots appear there at 9:30 a.m.

At 10 a.m., the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gives a python safe capture demonstration in the Kids Zone. At 11:30 a.m., Busch Wildlife Sanctuary releases a rehabilitated bird, followed by lagoon trivia with a calendar print giveaway.

Exhibitors

Booths include Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, showing how the county builds restoration islands in the lagoon; FWC, with touch tanks and manatee rescue information; Loggerhead Marinelife Center, with a sea turtle virtual reality tour; the Marine Megafauna Foundation, with manta ray research games; the Inwater Research Group, with sea turtle activities; Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 54, with marine safety information; and a photo spot with an inflatable manatee.

The organizers note the schedule is subject to change with the weather.

If you go

What: LagoonFest 2026
When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Flagler Drive, downtown West Palm Beach, beside the GreenMarket
Cost: Free; catamaran tour $10 for adults, free for kids under 12 and students, advance registration required

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