White Mountains Chowderfest & Duck Races

Visit White Mountains published its 2026 Memorial Day roundup on May 12, listing chowder tastings, duck races and other holiday-weekend events across New Hampshire’s White Mountains. The regional tourism group’s guide points visitors to two of the weekend’s recurring draws: Waterville Valley’s 36th Annual Chowderfest and Jackson’s 34th annual Wildquack Duck Race & Music Festival. Both events are scheduled for Sunday, May 24, according to organizer listings. The holiday guide says the weekend lineup is part of a broader White Mountains kickoff to the summer season. ### Where is the chowder event, and what does admission include? Waterville Valley’s 36th Annual Chowderfest is scheduled for May 24 at Town Square Condos, 6 Village Road, from noon to 2 p.m., according to the event listing. The listing says area restaurants will compete for the title of best local chowder and that admission includes samples of up to 24 ounces and a voting ballot. Adult tickets are listed at $7.50, and children ages 0 to 12 are listed at $5. (visitwhitemountains.com) Town Square Condos is listed as the presenting organization on the event page. The listing also says the event will include free live music in the Town Square Gazebo and lawn games alongside the tasting. ### What is happening in Jackson, and when do the duck races start? Jackson NH says the 34th annual Wildquack Duck Race & Music Festival will take place on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Jackson Village Park. The chamber-backed event page describes the day as free to attend and says activities begin at 8 a.m. (visitwhitemountains.com) The Jackson event page says the first duck race is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. It also lists live music, fair food, children’s games and a silent auction as part of the day’s program. (visitwhitemountains.com) Visit White Mountains says the event includes more than $10,000 in cash and prizes. ### Who is organizing these events? Caitlin Farrar’s May 12 roundup for Visit White Mountains grouped the events into the region’s Memorial Day programming and directed readers to local organizers for details. (jacksonnh.com) The tourism group’s seasonal event calendar separately lists the Wildquack festival at Jackson Village Park on May 24. Jackson NH says the Wildquack festival is hosted in the village by local organizers tied to the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce. (jacksonnh.com) The Visit White Mountains roundup identifies the chamber by name in its description of the event. Town Square Condos is named on the Waterville Valley page as the presenter of Chowderfest. The event listing frames the program as a local restaurant competition built around public tasting and ballot voting. (visitwhitemountains.com) ### How do the duck-race tickets and prizes work? Jackson NH’s tickets page lists several duck-race purchase options ahead of the festival. The page shows one regular duck ticket at $6, a four-pack of regular ducks at $20, an Olympic-size duck at $20 and a big duck at $100. (jacksonnh.com) A Jackson event listing archived on the town site says regular duck tickets carry a $1,000 first prize, while Olympic and $100 duck categories pay out shares of ticket sales subject to sales totals. (visitwhitemountains.com) That archived page also said the event draws more than 2,000 people over the course of the day. ### Is this a single festival or a regional holiday-weekend lineup? Visit White Mountains describes the Memorial Day programming as a regional collection of events rather than a single festival. (jacksonnh.com) The May 12 guide also includes attractions opening for the season, book sales and other family activities across multiple White Mountains towns. The seasonal event calendar shows the duck race in Jackson and separate Waterville Valley activities on the same weekend. (jacksonnh.com) Ski NH and Waterville Valley Resort also promoted the valley’s Memorial Day weekend schedule this week, describing chowder tastings as part of the resort-area lineup. ### Where can visitors check final details before Sunday? Visit White Mountains says its event and blog pages carry regional listings for the White Mountains holiday weekend. (visitwhitemountains.com) The tourism group’s roundup was published on May 12 and directs travelers to attraction and event pages for current details. May 24 is the key date for both featured events, with Chowderfest running from noon to 2 p.m. in Waterville Valley and Jackson’s Wildquack program beginning at 8 a.m. before the first duck race at 1:45 p.m. (visitwhitemountains.com) Organizers’ own event pages carry the latest timing, admission and ticket information ahead of Memorial Day weekend. (visitwhitemountains.com) (visitwhitemountains.com)