The 9th Annual Choctawhatchee Estuary Family Festival, a free family and community event for all ages, will be held Saturday, April 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, located at 4281 Highway 20 East in Niceville.
There is no park entrance fee for the festival offering fun activities, hand-on displays and environmental awareness. The event is hosted by the Mattie M. Kelly Cultural & Environmental Institute at Northwest Florida State College, with support from the Friends of the Emerald Coast State Parks.
The Choctawhatchee Estuary Family Festival features activities for the whole family including fish printing on t-shirts, explore the deep ocean and learn about critters that glow-in-the-dark, learn how to kayak in the bayou, view wildlife displays, learn about our local environment and more. The event will also include displays by the Okaloosa County Health Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Audubon Society, Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance and others.
All activities and entertainment are free.
Families are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch and come learn about the local waters of our estuary and the people living and working there. For more information on the festival, contact the Mattie M. Kelly Cultural & Environmental Institute at 850-729-6469.