It's set to be a festive weekend with events to tun, shop, dine and dance the fish all day long.

The 2nd Annual Whitefish FishFest is set for this Saturday, May 18. It will be a full day of festivities to celebrate Whitefish including the Whitefish Marathon, sidewalk sales, patio parties and more. Local retailers, bars, restaurants, and others are offering an array of sales, discounts, promotions, and give-a-ways throughout the day.

To "Run the Fish,” the WAVE’s 17th annual Whitefish Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5K runs kicks off the day at 8 a.m. in Depot Park. The road races alone are set to bring over 1,200 people to the start line. The field has tripled in the last 3 years and includes participants from 42 states and 3 countries. The half marathon and 5k are sold out and the marathon is expected to sell out by Friday. 

To “Shop the Fish,” there will be a Shoppers’ Crawl with prizes. Dozens of downtown businesses will have special sales, promotions and give-a-ways. Stop at the Chamber of Commerce Booth at Deport Park starting at 8 am till around 1 for details, crawl punch cards and extra coupons. Punch cards can also be picked up at 10 of the participating stores. 

Imagination Station is just one of many local businesses doing a FishFest special. They will have a sidewalk sale with all of their "crushed boxes." However, the product inside is in perfect condition. They will take 50% off the sticker price and you can then choose between The Nate Chute Foundation or CASA to donate part of the profits.

To “Dance the Fish,” there will be a patio party starting at 5 pm at the Craggy Range Bar & Grill. There will also be an outdoor BBQ at Firebrand with live music from Brent Jameson 1-4 and Mike Murray 6-9. 

Food trucks, medal ceremonies and more will be in Depot Park. There will be food and drink specials at other downtown eateries all day long. According to the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, almost every place downtown is participating. 

"The reason we're doing the event is to drive business in a slow shoulder season. This will really help us to shop small and to shop local year round," said Whitefish Chamber of Commerce Director Kevin Gartland.