Mermaids will once again take over Avalon's waterfront this weekend, as the second annual Catalina Island Mermaid Festival brings mermaid- and ocean-themed activities to the island on Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25. The two-day festival celebrates mermaids and the ocean.
The festival began in October 2025. The Catalina Art Association is celebrating 60 years of community service. This year's lineup, as reported by NBC Los Angeles, includes a mermaid synchronized swim, live music, a procession of dinghies, a beachside screening of The Little Mermaid, and mermaid bingo.
Golf Carts Take the Place of Parade Floats
Golf carts aren't just a quirky festival touch — they're a practical necessity. Catalina Island strictly limits standard motor vehicles to protect its environment and preserve its historic character, leaving golf carts, bicycles, and walking as the primary modes of ground transportation for locals and visitors alike, per OrangeCounty.net. Residents reportedly face a multi-year waiting list before they can bring a personal car onto the island, which explains why the festival's kickoff features a golf cart parade instead of a traditional one.
On South Beach, local organizations will participate in a hand-painted surfboard art installation and contest, with proceeds supporting local nonprofits, the same Log report notes. Meanwhile, the group Catalina Island Mermaids is hosting its final Mermaid Meetups of 2026 during the festival weekend, offering tail rentals for children and adults alongside a group swim and beach splash at Middle Beach, according to a Facebook post from Catalina Island Mermaids.
A Mermaid Mural at the Catalina Casino
Artist John Gabriel Beckman designed the Catalina Casino's mermaid mural, which NBC Los Angeles describes as representing the city of Avalon's ethereal side.
The Casino itself, a 12-story Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival landmark, opened on May 29, 1929, built by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. at a cost of $2 million as a gathering and entertainment center rather than a gambling hall, per SoCal Landmarks. Its name comes from the Italian word for gathering place. Inside, the Avalon Theatre was rigged for talking pictures, with a cork layer that muffled dancing feet in the ballroom above so they would not bother theatergoers. The theater still shows first-run movies and features an original Page pipe organ, according to DIGS Magazine.
A Century of Mermaids in Catalina's Waters
Catalina's ties to mermaid imagery stretch back over a century on film as well. The island served as a filming location for early 20th-century silent films with aquatic themes, including Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman's 1914 production Neptune's Daughter and 1917's Sirens of the Sea, according to the Journal of Marine and Island Cultures. Catalina was a popular choice for early Hollywood productions drawn to its clear coastal waters.
Catalina Island sits 22 miles off the Southern California coast, with a permanent population of about 4,000, mainly concentrated in Avalon, whose population is around 3,700. The island welcomes more than one million tourists annually, per Love Catalina. Beyond the Mermaid Festival, Avalon hosts other annual traditions including a harbor cleanup and a New Year's Eve party inside the Casino building, NBC Los Angeles reports.
Not the Only Mermaid Celebration in Southern California
Avalon isn't the only Southern California destination leaning into mermaid lore. Ventura Harbor Village honors Mermaid Month each March, featuring mermaid sightings near the water on select Saturdays, per NBC Los Angeles. In 2024, that mainland celebration marked its ninth annual March is Mermaid Month with a month-long scavenger hunt, steel drum concerts, and ocean conservation booths presented by the Surfrider Foundation, according to The Acorn. But for now, it's Avalon's turn to make a splash before Halloween.
