2024 Festival of Cods and Whales

Back by popular demand! The Marblehead Festival of Arts is excited to welcome back our fabulous cod exhibition and online auction! To celebrate our local creativity, for the 6th year in a row we invited a talented group of regional artists to decorate large wooden codfish using any medium of their choosing. In addition, we are excited to announce that we will also have 15 inch x 55 inch one-of-a-kind decorated whales for the second time. 

These one-of-a-kind decorated codfish and whales will be up for bid in our Festival of Cod & Whales online fundraising auction, to begin May 31 and run through July 7, 2024.

From classic to whimsical, there'll be a cod or whale for everyone. You'll be able to find one just right for you or as the perfect gift! If you won an artistic cod in any of the previous Cod Auctions, this will be an opportunity to add to your collection. If you didn't purchase a cod previously, this will be another chance to get one of these fabulous works! Watch this space for bidding to begin!

You will also find the decorated cods on display in various Marblehead businesses during the auction. The whales will be displayed together at Abbot Hall. Each cod's individual auction page provides information on the contributing artist and the business where that codfish is displayed.

So visit these Marblehead businesses and check out the decorated cods in person! Then mosey on over to view the whales. Tell your family and friends to visit and bid too!

Make your bid to support the Festival!

All proceeds from the Festival of Cod & Whale online auction will go directly to support future Marblehead Festival of Arts programs and scholarships.

Pick-up of purchased cods and whales will be  in Marblehead. Winning bidders will be notified of pick-up time and location. For winners who are unable to arrange for pick-up, shipping will be available for most cods for an additional charge.