36th Annual Greenport Maritime Festival Unfolds This Weekend: What To Know

GREENPORT, NY — After months of planning and an outpouring of community input, the 36th Annual Greenport Maritime Festival is set to unfold this weekend with a full slate of festivities and fun for all.

Here's a full schedule of events on both Saturday and Sunday, according to the event's new leadership, the Greenport Business Owners Association.

Saturday, Oct. 17

• Maritime Parade
• Saturday, 11 a.m.
• Village Blacksmith
• Noon to 4 p.m.
• Visit the Village Blacksmith open Saturday and Sunday during Maritime Festival.
• Anders Langendal Boatbuilders & Co.
• Noon to 5 p.m. at Greenport Shipyard
• Greenport Community Rowing
• Noon to 3 p.m.
• "Ever wondered what it's like to row a traditional gig? Here is your chance. At the 2026 Maritime Festival, we’re launching a pilot community rowing program featuring two styles of wooden rowing gigs — each crewed by four rowers and led by an experienced coxswain (aka "skipper") who steers and calls the stroke. No experience needed. All are welcome. Thank you to Sailing Surprise Yacht Charters, Village Community Boathouse, & The East End Seaport Museum".
• Pie Eating Contest
• 1 p.m.
• "How fast can you eat a delicious pie from Blue Duck Bakery?" organizers asked. "Sign up and find out! Race your fellow pie lovers to the finish with individual mini pies baked by Blue Duck Bakery. Brought to you by 1943 Pizza Bar + Brix & Rye. Register Here
• Hot Sauce Competition
• 2 to 4 p.m.
• America’s Fireboat
• OngoingFree public tours of America's Fireboat (Fire Fighter) are available when the historic vessel is docked at Mitchell Park Marina.
• Family Treasure Hunt
• Saturday,
• Ongoing, village-wide.
• "Discover the lost treasures of Greenport — an adventure across Greenport Village. Curated in collaboration with the North Fork Art Collective, North Fork Performing Arts Center, historical landmarks, local organizations & not-for-profits, each stop unlocks another piece of Greenport. Pick up the scavenger hunts to The Sappan Greenport Movie Theater.

Sunday, Oct. 18

• Fish Filleting Contest
• 10 a.m.
• "A true working-waterfront skill takes center stage! Presented by BluJMarine in partnership with Little Creek Oysters. Watch local fish cutters and maritime professionals go knife-to-knife to see -who can properly fillet the most porgies in just 60 seconds," organizers aid. "And there may be even more on the line — one competitor believes he can challenge a Guinness World Records mark, and we're working with Guinness toward a potential official attempt. 60 seconds. Porgies on the table. Come watch the pros at work - and maybe a little history being made in Greenport." REGISTER HERE
• Greenport Community Rowing
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Glass Beach in front of PORT
• Village Blacksmith
• Noon to 4 p.m.
• Visit the Village Blacksmith open during Greenport Maritime Festival.
• Anders Langendal Boatbuilders & Co.
• Noon to 5 p.m., at the Greenport Shipyard
• Cardboard Boat Regatta
• 12:30 p.m. 4th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta.
• Annual Work Boat Race
• 1 p.m., Greenport Breakwater
• "Led by Adam Douglas an Tim Heaney, the Work Boat Race celebrates the hardworking vessels — and crews — that keep Greenport’s waterfront moving. They’re the yard dogs, the watchtowers, the guiding lights. They haul, tow, tend, guide and get the job done. But during Maritime Festival weekend, they’ve got just one job: Race for glory, guts & 'gold.' The race begins at the Greenport Breakwater, with inboard & outboard divisions and three prizes up for grabs. Once the racing is done, stick around for a parade of racers — a chance to see the boats & crews that keep our working waterfront working. Come cheer them on as captains & crews put their vessels - and maybe a little friendly harbor rivalry - to the test. All hands on deck. Let’s race!"
• David Berson, Shuck N' Jive, Sea Shanties
• 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., East End Seaport Museum
• "Sea shanties with one of Greenport’s own! David Berson is one of Greenport’s most celebrated sailors, neighbors, and musicians," organizers said. " Catch Shuck n’ Jive at the East End Seaport Museum.
• Fishing Derby
• 2:00 p.m.
• "Fish right off the Peconic Star, docked directly behind the East End Seaport Museum, and get a taste of competitive fishing right in Greenport Harbor! Fishing guides will be alongside to help, and all ages are welcome. Catch a big one and you could win the chance to head out on the Peconic Star for a real fishing trip! Sponsored by Burger Construction. Sign Up Here
• Greenport Community Rowing
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Concert At The Caboose, The Mudflats
• 2 pm. at the Railroad Museum of Long Island, 440 4th Street; free and open to all.
• Dream Green Drawing
• 4:30 p.m.
• $50,000 1st prize; 65 cash prizes total. Sponsored by the ELIH Auxiliary. Drawing at the ELIH Auxiliary Opportunity Shop, 321 Main Street in Greenport. Need not be present to win. Tickets $100 each.
• Family treasure hunt.
• Sunday, ongoing
• America’s Fireboat
• Sunday, ongoing. Free public tours of America's Fireboat (Fire Fighter) are available when the historic vessel is docked at Mitchell Park Marina in Greenport.

Four local businesswomen have teamed up to navigate the Greenport Maritime Festival into its next chapter.

The event includes the annual Maritime Parade, a Classic Boat Regatta and Reggae Celebration, a pie-eating contest, family treasure hunt, hot sauce competition, oyster-shucking contest, cardboard boat races, music and more.

The four women who are now leading the effort to carry on Greenport’s Maritime Festival tradition are no strangers to working together — or to finding creative ways to bring people together in their community, they agreed.

Sarah Phillips, owner of First & South Restaurant; Kimberly Loper, owner of Harbor Pet; Rena Wilhelm, owner of The Weathered Barn; and Kara Hoblin, owner of North Fork Art Collective, have been working together in various capacities for over a decade.

What began as an informal partnership among local business owners has now evolved into an official organization: the Greenport Business Owners Alliance, or GBOA.

While their involvement in Greenport events has already become familiar to many in the community, the formation of GBOA marks a new chapter, bringing their collective experience and individual strengths together in an effort to support the community they call home, they said.

Their roots became more deeply entwined back in 2024, when Loper spearheaded the move of the annual North Fork Dog Dock Diving Event to the Greenport Polo Grounds. Her goal, she said, was to bring more excitement and activity to the Greenport business district.

Phillips and Wilhelm quickly jumped on board to support their friend and fellow business owner. What developed, they agreed, "was a supportive and remarkably balanced team, with each person's strengths contributing to an event that was captivating for the community while also serving as a fundraiser for the Greenport Fire Department."

In 2027, the North Fork Dog Dock Diving Event will celebrate its third year at the Greenport Polo Grounds.

Hoblin brings her own event-planning experience to GBOA. She is the organizer behind Greenport's annual Holiday Stroll, hosted by Harbor Front Hotel, having successfully produced the event for the past two years. Her third—and, she promises, "extra-special" — Holiday Stroll takes place on December 18.

When the East End Seaport Museum announced late last year that it would discontinue its annual Maritime Festival, the news was met with deep disappointment throughout the Greenport community, GBOA said.

The festival was more than an annual event, GBOA said; it had been a beloved tradition for 35 years and an important celebration of the village's maritime heritage.

Village officials subsequently approached the Greenport Business Owners Alliance about working with the museum to explore whether the festival could continue under new leadership.

Those conversations ultimately resulted in a contract that allowed the museum to pass the torch to the new organization, GBOA said.

Phillips spearheaded the negotiations. Working alongside Ian Wile, owner of Little Creek Oyster Company, and his nonprofit organization, Hold Fast Fund, the group was able to take the reins of the Maritime Festival with the goal of not only preserving the long-standing tradition "but elevating it for the future," GBOA said.

As part of the agreement, proceeds from the Maritime Festival will be donated to the East End Seaport Museum for the next three years. GBOA said it has also been working with Erin Kimmel, the museum’s new director, to bring new life to the event while preserving Greenport's maritime heritage.

However, GBOA said, producing an event of this scale comes with "extensive responsibilities, and each member has taken on multiple roles in bringing the festival to life."

GBOA said the four women's approach remains rooted in the same collaborative effort that made their earlier projects successful: utilizing individual experience and expertise to create something greater as a team.

GBOA has also partnered with local design team Visual Natives, which created a new website exclusively for the Maritime Festival. The website serves as the central hub for festival information, providing the community with access to schedules, events, participation opportunities and updates.

"But perhaps the most important part of this new chapter is that GBOA wants the community to be involved," organizers said.

Two well-attended community meetings were held, garnering volunteers and bringing new voices to the planning process.

Phillips, Loper, Wilhelm and Hoblin agreed that taking on the Maritime Festival "is about more than adding another event to already busy schedules. It is about recognizing the importance of a tradition that belongs to the entire community and doing what they can to ensure it continues."

Each woman said she brings her own business, experience and perspective to the table.

"Together, those individual strengths give GBOA the opportunity to build on what came before while creating something new for the future," they said. "As the saying goes, 'It takes a village — and a rising tide lifts all ships.' And together, Greenport is capable of extraordinary things."

For additional information and a schedule of events, click here.