AltaCal Bird Alliance Presents
The 27th Annual Snow Goose Festival
January 28-31, 2027
We are proud to announce the 27th Annual Snow Goose Festival, one of the largest birding festivals in California, located in the heart of the Pacific Flyway.
The Pacific Flyway is recognized as one of the world’s major migratory pathways for birds. Millions of birds representing hundreds of species, including the iconic Snow Goose, use this great avian highway each year. Every January, we celebrate this magnificent spectacle of nature, uniting our community to participate in fun, educational and recreational experiences.
As we embark on almost three decades together, we reflect on our successes:
- Attracted nearly 15,000 attendees, engaging thousands in nature-based activities and environmental education.
- Facilitated 1,300+ outdoor activities across Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties, connecting people with the native ecosystem.
- Hosted nearly one in three attendees from outside the region, boosting local businesses, non-profits and the economy.
- Provided 3,000+ children with interactive bird and nature experiences, creating lasting positive impacts.
2027 Festival highlights will include:
- Workshops and kids activities at the Historic Patrick Ranch Museum
- Over 55 field trips, educational exhibits & free engaging activities for families
- Dinner Banquet with keynote speaker at Bell Memorial Union at Chico State on Saturday, January 30th
- Birds! Art Exhibit at the Museum of Northern California Art (monca) on Friday, January 29th
Stay tuned for the full schedule in December 2026. We can’t wait to see you there!
I just returned from the Snow Goose Festival in sunny, beautiful Chico, California. The events were fun, the field trips were great, the birds were enjoyable, and the people were terrific! Seeing all the waterfowl in their freshest breeding plumages was a real treat to me. My mom tells me I got excited about seeing ducks before I could talk. And those ducks still get me excited to this day. What’s not to like about a cinnamon teal? Or a shoveler or pintail? And raptors were present in good numbers, too. It was exciting for me to see golden eagles, prairie falcons, and one of my favorite hawks — the ferruginous hawk.
— Greg Miller, 13th Snow Goose Festival keynote speaker, and was featured in the book/movie "The Big Year"