SF’s Annual Moby Dick 24-Hour Marathon (Oct. 19-20)

Brace yourself as the MD24 resurfaces in 2024! The Moby Dick 24 Hour Marathon, hosted by the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, is a secret San Francisco tradition, steeped in both maritime history and theatrical innovation! Whether you’re a Melville scholar or you’ve never even cracked the cover, the MD24 makes the colossal novel Moby Dick feel lively, accessible, and dare we say– FUN!

Literary thrillseekers gather annually to celebrate this complicated, provocative, much-beloved-and-sometimes-dreaded epic of nautical life! Utilizing the voices of volunteer readers, ranging from special guest stars to people just like you (yes, YOU), we honor and amplify the text being spoken– while merging more art forms than ever before! This year’s MD24 ’24 is utilizing dance, music, painting, puppetry, culinary arts, drag, tarot, clowning, spectacle, queer theory, soundscapes, original composition, radio drama, fibre arts– it’s a uniquely San Franciscan approach to cracking this blessed behemoth!

Beginning at twelve noon on Saturday October 19 to noon on Sunday October 20, 2024, the nonstop cover-to-cover marathon reading of this deceptively modern novel addresses elements of race, queerness, ecological impact– and the MD24 turns it all into the hottest afterparty in town!

Come for a chapter, or spend the night in the spectacularly restored Art Deco-style landmark that is the Maritime Museum Building! Join us for this spirited, enthusiastic examination of what Melville continues to mean to us– and how we resonate daily with some of the most complex characters in American literature.