Festival Events for the 14th Annual Snow Goose Festival

Come to the 14th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway! 

The Snow Goose Festival celebrates the abundant local and migratory waterfowl of the Northern Sacramento Valley, and is one of the premier winter birding festivals in California. Over 60 field trips, workshops, presentations, and free activities cater to bird and nature enthusiasts of all ages and levels of interest.

This exciting 4-day event kicks off with a full Field Trip schedule for Thursday and Friday. Sign up to hike the Sutter Buttes, scope a nearby refuge for waterfowl, or participate in a "Big Day" to identify as many bird species as you can from dawn to dusk! Field trips will continue on through the weekend.

Festival Headquarters opens at 6:30am Saturday morning at the Chico Masonic Family Center, 1110 W. East Avenue in Chico, and admission is free to the exhibit hall and various events. Workshops, presentations and a variety of free activities for kids and families will be held at the Masonic Center while field trips continue to explore the natural wonders of Butte and the surrounding 6 counties. FREE ACTIVITIES include Junior Naturalist Activities, "All About Bats," special film showings on Sandhill Cranes, and much, much more! Sign up for informative workshops on Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese and Wood Ducks, learn how to photograph your favorite bird, or take an armchair tour of the Sutter Buttes.

Don't miss the annual Pacific Flyway Art Exhibit which starts January 18 at Avenue 9 Gallery & Art Guild in Chico. This stunning collection of artwork depicting wildlife and habitat along the Pacific Flyway is impressive and inspiring! A special evening that proves to be a favorite of festival goers each year is the Pacific Flyway Art & Welcome Reception which will be held on Friday, January 25 from 5 - 8 pm and is free to the public.

Saturday night hosts our “Gathering of Wings” Banquet & Silent Auction at Chico State's Bell Memorial Union (BMU). We are so pleased to bring you two very special guests...Chico’s own, Roger Lederer and Carol Burr, retired Chico State Professors, author and illustrator of “Birds of Bidwell Park”. Their keynote presentation will be “The Amazing in the Familiar: Surprising Facts about Common Birds.” This fun and friendly evening gives you the opportunity to visit with attendees, field trip leaders and presenters and relax after a full day of birding!

Online registration is open for all events including field trips, workshops and the Gathering of Wings Banquet. Event fees range from $5 to $45.

If you have any questions about our festival or registration, please email or call the Snow Goose Festival office at (530) 345-1865.