Readers dive into New Bedford Whaling Museum's 30th 'Moby-Dick' marathon

"Call me Ishmael” — one of the most famous first lines in literary history — is about to enthrall audiences at the New Bedford Whaling Museum for the 30th time.

The historic coastal city plays a part in Herman Melville’s classic novel, “Moby-Dick,” and each January, throngs of scholars and dedicated fans flock there for the museum’s annual marathon. But president Amanda McMullen said the event’s roots can be traced to Connecticut.

“Truth be told, we actually were inspired by our colleagues in Mystic who had done a marathon well before us,” McMullen said of peers at the Mystic Seaport Museum, whose reading takes place in the summer to coincide with Melville's birthday.

The New Bedford museum decided to host their version on Jan. 3 — the day Melville set sail out of New Bedford on a whaling ship in 1841. “This 30th reading is not only celebrating three decades,” McMullen said, “it's also celebrating 185 years to the day when Melville boarded the Acushnet.”

The 25-hour, nonstop read-a-thon, which is also live-streamed, has evolved into a literary tradition known around the world. In 2025, McMullen said more than 2,400 fans and scholars came through the museum’s doors over the free weekend. Since its debut, the event has attracted a cult following and it feels like a reunion.

“People bundle up in January and want to be walking the cobblestone streets that Melville walked in New Bedford, and then come into the museum to have this incredible experience with strangers and friends,” McMullen said.

Upwards of 240 readers will pass the baton in 2026's edition. After the striking of eight bells, Massachusetts poet laureate Reggie Gibson kicks off the event in the main level of the museum’s Bourne Building.

Other Melville-themed programming includes a dinner Friday night with marine ecologist and author Joe Roman, a “Stump the Scholars” challenge on Saturday morning, and the Portuguese Mini Marathon at 1:30 p.m., for which 48 readers deliver a Portuguese adaptation of "Moby Dick" that's also live-streamed.  An ongoing exhibition by contemporary artist Heidi Whitman titled "Ahab's Head: American Vengeance, An installation" is also open in the museum's galleries.

But the cover-to-cover main event begins promptly at noon Saturday and runs through the night.

When asked what Melville himself might think of the “Moby-Dick” Marathon and what it's evolved into, McMullen said, “I think his head would be spinning and he’d find it absurd and fascinating.” She added it's a shame the author wasn’t celebrated while he was alive, “but today people are still being inspired by every single word he wrote.”

McMullen has the great pleasure and great anxiety of reading the "Moby-Dick" epilogue out loud, which she admitted is both wonderful and nerve-wracking. She loves participating in a “tag you’re it” Melville party that roves from room to room through the museum.

“There's just something communal about being in the space, listening to a story being read to you,” she said. “It’s the best way I can think of starting January.”