The Greenport Maritime Festival returns to the village waterfront October 16-18 after a leadership change and a furious nor’easter that swept across the North Fork created challenges and forced a postponement. One of the North Fork’s best-loved celebrations, the festival features boat races, a maritime parade, contests, live music, family activities and local food and drink.
Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital is the festival’s title sponsor, while the Hold Fast Fund, a nonprofit founded by Ian Wile and Rosalie Rung to support North Fork residents and small businesses, is serving as the festival’s fiscal sponsor.
The festival enters a new chapter in 2026. After 35 years under the stewardship of the East End Seaport Museum, this year the event is being led by the Greenport Business Owners Alliance (GBOA) in collaboration with the museum, the Hold Fast Fund and local businesses, charitable organizations, artists, fishermen, makers and volunteers.
The GBOA is composed of four Greenport business owners who sprung into action to produce the festival: Sarah Phillips of First & South Bar & Restaurant, Kimberly Loper of Harbor Pet, Rena Wilhelm of The Weathered Barn and Kara Hoblin of the North Fork Art Collective.
The group say the goal is to build on the festival’s longstanding traditions while expanding participation throughout the village.
“Taking on the Maritime Festival was never about reinventing a 35-year tradition,” says Phillips. “It was about honoring what came before us while building a structure that allows it to grow and thrive for years to come. I want this festival to celebrate not just our waterfront but the people who make this village what it is.”
The festival’s website, greenportmaritimefestival.com, is the official information source for the event, with schedules, updates, applications, and assistance that can be accessed year-round.
“It’s great to see all of the excitement and the amount of effort and energy that’s been put into this by the Greenport Business Owners Alliance,” says Greenport mayor Kevin Stuessi.
Indeed, the four producers of the festival have more than worked overtime to make the festival happen this year, creating more ways for folks to participate through sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.
The recent nor’easter that hit the North Fork on Sept. 25 led to more difficulties for the festival organizers, as they made the call to postpone the festival and reshuffled schedules.
“The Maritime Festival is so much more enjoyable for everyone when we’re not ducking for cover,” says Wilhelm. “Our visitors, vendors, and local businesses deserve the opportunity to shine during an event as significant as our Maritime Festival. While the decision to postpone was difficult, it proved to be the right call.”
The producers say they are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Greenport and celebrating the Maritime Festival “the way it was meant to be celebrated,” says Wilhelm.
“You can’t ask to work with better people,” says Loper of her fellow GBOA members. “Everybody picked their avenue, the way that they wanted to work in it, and everybody just ran with it.”
The women hope that the structure that they put in place this year will become a base for the future. “It’s a tremendous undertaking,” says Wilhelm. “We want to be sure that this year goes off with a massive bang.”
Two festival events are already in the books — the Bug Light Classic Regatta, which set sail on Oct. 10, and East End Seaport Museum’s Regatta, Reggae and Rum Party, which took place on Sept. 26. Both events are anticipated to occur annually as part of the festival.
Festival highlights this weekend include:
The Land & Sea Gala: The weekend begins on Friday, Oct. 16 with the Land & Sea Gala, presented by Oyster Estate, at Mitchell Park from 6-9 p.m. Guests can enjoy tastings from local restaurants, oysters, wine, beer, cocktails, dancing and a live auction. Tickets are $125 and may be purchased here.
Maritime Parade: The Maritime Parade, a tradition for more than three decades, is presented by Peconic Marine this year and kicks off on Saturday at 11 a.m., filling Front and Main streets with mermaids, pirates, boats, costumes and community groups. This year’s grand marshal is Dave Abatelli, a longtime Greenport civic leader who, along with his wife, Lydia, operates Lydia’s Antiques and Stained Glass in the village. To register to participate in the parade, go here.
Contests: Multiple competitions showcase Greenport’s connection to the sea and local businesses.
- – The Blue Duck Bakery pie eating contest will be presented by 1943/Brix & Rye on Saturday at 1 p.m.
- – The Fishing Derby, for all ages, will have anglers fishing off the docked Peconic Star to compete for prizes, with fishing guides available to help out. The derby takes place on Saturday at 2 p.m. and is sponsored by Burger Construction.
- – A hot sauce blind tasting competition will bring the heat from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday with prizes and bragging rights up for grabs.
- – BluJMarine and Little Creek Oysters will present a fish filleting contest on Sunday at 10 a.m. to see who can fillet the most porgies in 60 seconds (with a possible Guinness World Record attempt to witness).
- – The Cardboard Boat Regatta begins on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on the village waterfront. There will be three race events: Young Buccaneers (12 and under), Jolly Rogers Regatta (adults) and the Pirates Outlaw Race (anything goes).
- – The Work Boat Race kicks off on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Greenport breakwater, ending with a parade of boats through the harbor.
Other events happening over the weekend include:
Community Rowing: The festival is launching a pilot community rowing program with one-hour introductory sessions happening at Glass Beach (in front of Port restaurant) between Mitchell Park Marina and the Shelter Island North Ferry. Rowers must be 14 years old. For details on the Saturday and Sunday sessions, look here.
Treasure Hunt: The North Fork Arts Center will host a weekend-long treasure hunt, sending families on an adventure throughout the village from the Little Red Schoolhouse to the old jail to the Floyd Memorial Library and beyond. For all ages.
Art and Music: The North Fork Art Collective will celebrate Greenport’s maritime heritage through an exhibition inspired by the sea, found in two spaces: Aldo’s Coffee Co. (103-105 Front St.) and the North Fork Art Collective (207 Main St.). Live music, curated by local musician Julia King, will take place on multiple music stages, presented by Trieber Farms and the Treiber Family Foundation, throughout the village. David Berson and Shuck N’ Jive will perform sea shanties on Sunday from 1-3 p.m., and the Mudflats will perform at the Railroad Museum of Long Island’s free Concert at the Caboose on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Information on schedules, weather updates, vendor and sponsorship opportunities and volunteer sign-ups are available at greenportmaritimefestival.com.
