Paper Whale

09/29/2026

Join us around the fire pit at Whatcom Museum’s Free First Friday for an evening of art, music, fungi and community. Get an early taste of what’s to come at Fire & Story Festival, returning January 28–30, 2027, for three nights of light, fire and storytelling to the Bellingham waterfront.✨🔥⁠
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Explore the new 'From the Vault: Forested' exhibition, enjoy live music, discover local fungi, make a forest-inspired craft, and pick up a tree to plant for the future. Then, warm up by the fire and grab your early bird tickets to Fire & Story before they sell out.⁠
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📍 Whatcom Museum⁠
📅 Friday, October 2⁠
🎟️ Free admission + early bird Fire & Story tickets available⁠
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Learn more about Free First Friday at whatcommuseum.org and Fire & Story at fireandstory.com.

09/25/2026

PAPER WHALE HAS A NEW HOME!⁠
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We’re looking for a few extra hands to help us move everything from our current space this weekend. There will be lots of lifting, loading, and unloading, with a chance to be among the first to help us bring this new space to life.✨📦⁠
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Volunteer for a minimum 3-hour shift on Saturday, September 26 or Sunday, September 27 and receive a FREE 3-night pass to Fire & Story Festival 2027. 🔥⁠
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Interested? Email [email protected] with your availability for either day, and we’ll send you the details.⁠
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We’re excited to open the doors on this next chapter, and grateful to everyone who has helped Paper Whale get here. Come help us out and get an inside look at what's next!

08/25/2026

The Noisy Waters murals have found a new home at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building, and they’re available for auction through September 18!⁠
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You can see the murals in the courtyard at 250 Flora St, or catch a glimpse from the back patio at Bar Cicotti while enjoying dinner and jazz.🎷🍽️⁠
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Upcoming Bar Cicotti Jazz Nights:⁠
August 27: Mike Faast Trio⁠
September 10: Adam Greenberg Quartet⁠
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Both evenings feature a seasonal 3-course prix fixe dinner for $48/person, from 6–8 PM, with the Noisy Waters murals as your backdrop. Reservations are required and space is limited. Reserve your spot at barcicotti.com/event
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🏛️ The Lightcatcher courtyard is free and open Wed–Sun, 12–5 PM, no museum admission needed. While you're checking out the murals, step inside to see the museum's new neon show, Luminous Glow. One ticket gets you into every exhibition in both museum buildings — the Lightcatcher and Old City Hall — as well as the Family Interactive Gallery.⁠
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Bid on your favorite mural before the auction closes September 18! noisywatersmuralfest.com/noisy-auction
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🍽️⁠ Bar Cicotti
🏛️ Whatcom Museum
📸 FotoMataio Fotografia

08/20/2026

08/03/2026

06/25/2026

Paper Whale is proud to sponsor and support on Sunday, June 28th at Zuanich Point Park. If you attended Rising Tide in May, you heard about this festival during the evenings 'Small Wins' segment, which highlights grassroots projects making impactful change in our community. ⁠
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Holi has been celebrated for generations across India and around the world as a way to welcome spring and bring people together. Because we live in the Pacific Northwest, Bellingham's Holi Festival takes place in June so everyone can joyfully celebrate outdoors with sunshine and warmth. ⁠
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This festival is organized by Bellingham's Indian community, but is open to all! Come experience a different culture and enjoy this community celebration which includes:⁠
• Color throws⁠
• DJ set with live Dhol drumming⁠
• Bhangra dancers⁠
• Food trucks⁠
• Mehndi/Henna⁠
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More info at https://www.bellinghamholifestival.com. See you there this weekend!

06/22/2026

We're feeling amped that summer has arrived and is two months away! Mark your calendars for August 14-16 and give the festival a follow here:
https://www.facebook.com/noisywatersmuralfest ⁠
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We'll be posting artist info, event details, and music lineup over on that account.⁠
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Art: ⁠
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06/11/2026

Join us this Saturday at for Bingo Night. Cool off from the expected heat wave with an ice cold beverage for a cause. 100% of the bingo card buy-in proceeds, plus $1 from every pint sold, will go to Paper Whale. Come play a few rounds, drink a few beers, and help raise some funds so we can continue our work of growing the creative culture in Bellingham! Prizes just might include some of our new Paper Whale merch.⁠
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$3 for one card or 4 cards for $10.⁠
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See you Saturday 6-8pm at ROAM!⁠
https://wanderbrewing.com/roam-coffee-beer/
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06/03/2026

We just received our largest single-donor contribution of $10,000 this month, and the timing couldn't be better. In honor of our 4th anniversary, we would love to see our community raise an additional $5,000 by the end of this month.⁠
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Help us connect, inspire, and activate our community by making a contribution today. We can also accept stock donations—just reach out!⁠ With your help we can continue crafting events that bring people together in unexpected and unforgettable ways.⁠

https://www.paper-whale.com/donate
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Paper Whale is a 501c3 non-profit organization on a mission to create unforgettable places led by local change makers, ignited by creative energy, and charged with cultural character.