Every year on the third weekend of May, the small California city of Angels Camp hosts the annual Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee to the delight of 40,000+ visitors. But even despite its popularity, many Californians still don’t know about this historic celebration influenced by a 1865 short story by Mark Twain.
With a legacy dating back well over a century, this is one of California’s longest-running events—here’s everything to know about the famous frog jumping competition happening from May 15-18, 2025.
The 2025 Jubilee
Calaveras County’s four-day event features all your favorite elements of a county fair in California, including livestock shows, a parade, an art show, live music, performances, and the popular Destruction Derby. This year’s theme is “Ropin’ Teams and Cowboy Dreams,” and gates are open all day long from Thursday, May 15th, through Sunday, May 18th.
Of course, the delightful Frog Jumping Jubilee is always the main spectacle, where “frog jockies” try to make their bullfrog jump the greatest distance possible, egged on by thousands of spectators. Catch the frog-jumping from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with a break from 1:30-2:00 p.m. Qualifying frogs will then compete in the International Frog Jumping Finals at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
How the frog jumping contest works
“Frog jockies” usually compete in the Jumping Frog Jubilee with locally-caught bullfrogs, but the event also provides frogs for rent. The frogs must measure at least 4 inches from nose to tail.
Jockies may then use various antics to get their frog to jump, such as stomping, screaming, and clapping—but no touching. Each frog can jump three consecutive times and is evaluated on the distance from the starting point to the final landing.
Stakes are high, as there’s a $20,000 prize on the line for anyone whose frog breaks the record set by “Rosie the Ribbeter” in 1986—a whopping 21 feet, 5¾ inches.
The California Fish & Game Commission is always on-site to oversee the frogs’ safety, and frogs relax in a “frog spa” during downtime.
“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”
In 1865, Mark Twain published the short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” after spending a winter in Angels Camp. It tells the story of a gambler named Jim Smiley, who wagers $40 that his frog Dan’l Webster can jump further than any frog in the country. The tale ends with a stranger sabotaging Dan’l by weighing him down with quail shot, and so Smiley loses the bet. This was Twain’s breakout work that launched his career as an American humorist.
While the first Calaveras County Fair was held in 1893, it wasn’t until 1928 that the first Jumping Frog Jubilee took place in Angels Camp to celebrate the paving of Main Street. The two events merged in the 1930s, and the occasion now has a loyal following with around 40,000 people showing up to see the frog-jumping competition every year. Both Twain himself and the story’s frog, Dan’l Webster, are celebrated heartily at the event.
🗓️ Date: May 15-18, 2025
📍 Location: Calaveras County Fairgrounds, 2465 Gunclub Rd, Angels Camp, CA 95222
🌐 Website: Frogtown.org