Maritime Festival Setting Sail for Greenport September 21-22

Classic boats from near and far drop anchor in Greenport Harbor for the 34th annual Maritime Festival on September 21–22, when seamen and landlubbers will celebrate the North Fork village’s seafaring history.

Between the Merry Merfolk Parade, boat races, more than 100 vendors, unique booty for sale, live music, maritime demonstrations and all manner of family fun, it’s safe to say all hands will be on deck for the festivities, which coincide with the autumn equinox.

“It’s going to be a blast,” said Tracey Orlando, executive director of the East End Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation, which organizes the event.

The event, which is sponsored by Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, did not have its finalized lineup available as of press time. But the festival traditionally sets sail Saturday, September 21 with the Merry Merfolk Parade featuring mermaids, pirates and all sorts of sea creatures followed by an awards ceremony for the best costume at the stage in Mitchell Park.

This year marks the second annual Cardboard Regatta at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, in which local students will race homemade boats made of cardboard, although participants need to register in advance, follow the rules and are encouraged to take the museum’s advice on how to build a cardboard boat that will cross the finish line. The event is sponsored by the Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. Entrants will race in categories that include Scallywags (single riders), Young Buccaneers (kids age 12 and younger), the Jolly Roger Regatta (adults), the Privateers Outlaw Race (anything goes) and Business Class (for companies).

Other traditions expected to return this year will be maritime safety talks and the U.S. Coast Guard’s ever-popular helicopter rescue demonstration, although the timing was not immediately available. Douglass Marine — the Orient-based family-run company — has been named 34th annual Maritime Festival Grand Marshal, including George Van-Etten, Melanie Douglass-Van-Etten, Peter Douglass, Kate Parks and Adam Douglass.

The museum itself, located at 100 Third Street in Greenport, has new 1,000-gallon saltwater aquarium — the second largest of its kind on Long Island — exhibiting the fragile flora and fauna found in the Peconic Bay. It also offers boat tours of the nearby Long Beach Bar “Bug” Lighthouse that helps mariners navigate around the hazardous sandbar located between Orient Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay and hosts regular exhibits about sharks and other marine life.

For those who can’t wait for the festival fun, it will be preceded by the museum’s 2024 Land & Sea Gala, with the theme this year being Anchors Aweigh, at Safe Harbor Boat Yard, 500 Beach Road in Greenport. Early access starts at 5:30 p.m. featuring VIP parking, a VIP-only lounge, jazz quartet, VIP cocktail hour and a limited edition commemorative poster for the first 150 VIP ticket holders. General admission starts at 6:30 p.m. with all access to DJ entertainment, dancing, food, beverages, a 50/50 raffle and more.

The proceeds of both events benefit the nonprofit East End Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation’s educational programs, museum offerings and the preservation of Long Beach Bar Lighthouse, aka Bug Light.

The event takes place rain or shine, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. September 21–22 in downtown Greenport Village. For more information, visit eastendseaport.org.