Now in its 31st year, the festival is a tribute to the story of Wendy the Whale who was beached on the shores of Hermanus in the 1930s.
Celebrating the return of the Southern Right whales to the coast of South Africa, Hermanus Whale Festival has been running annually since 1992. Now in its 31st year, the festival is a tribute to the story of Wendy the Whale who was beached on the shores of Hermanus in the 1930s. The townsfolk pulled together and returned Wendy to the sea, after which she came back year after year to visit her friends. Wendy’s story is a reminder of man’s ability to coexist peacefully with nature, and the power of a community’s desire to protect the environment.