Lodi, California, may be the place wine connoisseurs flock to for laid-back wine country weekends and affordable tastings. But in November, it’s a different kind of flock that fills the town: flocks of nearly prehistoric, four-foot-tall birds.
Every fall, thousands of white sandhill cranes arrive in Lodi to spend winter in the wetlands and agricultural fields of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. And every November, Lodi celebrates their return with a festival devoted to the quirky birds. In 2026, the 28th annual Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival runs November 6-8, during which time the city’s Hutchins Street Square turns into a headquarters for crane art, wildlife presentations, craft workshops, and excursions into the surrounding Delta. Admission to the main festival is free, and it’s growing more popular every year.