Test Your Endurance at the 25-Hour Moby-Dick Marathon

A past Moby-Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. (Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum)

Editor’s note: This post is updated from a previous story in 2023.

“Call me Ishmael.” So begins one of the most famous works of English literature — and the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s annual Moby-Dick Marathon, returning to the port city for the twenty-eighth time this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 6-7.

Every year, thousands participate in the annual tradition, which kicks off this year with a sold-out dinner and lecture Friday night featuring master printer Jos Sances. Sances created “Or, the Whale,” a fourteen-by-fifty-one-foot scratchboard mural detailing the history of American capitalism as told through the story of the whale.

On Saturday, Herman Melville afficionados can gather at 9:30 a.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater for a “Stump the Scholars” session with a team of Moby Dick experts, followed by the “Little Whalers’ Story Time” at 10 a.m. at the New Bedford Free Public Library. At noon, the main event kicks off with Michael J. Bobbitt, executive director of the Mass Cultural Council, reading the iconic “Call Me Ishmael” opening lines of the famous book.

The reading continues through the night and is expected to end around 1 p.m. on Sunday, with prizes for those who make it through the entire reading. Other highlights this year include a live performance of chapter forty (“Midnight on the Forecastle”) by Culture*Park and a Portuguese mini marathon happening at the museum and virtually with readers from the Azores, Madeira Islands, Cape Verde and mainland Portugal starting at 2 p.m. Museum attendance is free Saturday and Sunday for the marathon.

“Melville wrote vividly of New Bedford and the maritime experience therein,” says New Bedford Whaling Museum CEO Amanda McMullen. “The city was important to his work and life — his sister lived here and he frequented the downtown and waterfront streets, ultimately drawing inspiration from the area’s varied landmarks and culture. The Moby-Dick Marathon is an enduring testament to his legacy and to that era of whaling, and we encourage participants to join us for a weekend of Melville-inspired events as we recount the epic hunt for the white whale.” 

While there are several Moby Dick marathons around the country, only New Bedford can claim to have served as a literal launching point for the author, who departed from the city on the whaling ship Achushnet on Jan. 3, 1841. The experience would go on to serve as a partial basis for the book. Melville even attended services across the street from the museum at the Seamen’s Bethel, where a portion of the reading takes place every year.

Whatever the reason for the book’s appeal, McMullen says all are welcome to attend this weekend’s marathon, both the die-hard fans and those curious about the annual event.

“It’s a blast. People should definitely put it on their bucket list,” she says.

The event is free, though McMullen warns the venue will likely be standing-room-only during the popular opening lines on Saturday. Quieter moments tend to occur throughout the evening and on Sunday morning, she says.

Visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum website for the weekend’s full schedule.

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