Camden Windjammer Festival
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The Camden Windjammer Festival is a community-led celebration of Camden's maritime heritage and living traditions.
Camden Windjammer Festival
WHERE
Camden Harbor, Camden, ME
WHEN
Held annually, Labor Day weekend in September.
Camden Windjammer Festival Photos
Festivities throughout the weekend include live music, nautical activities, demonstrations, boat parade and fireworks. Events occur at the Public Landing, at the Harbor and Harbor Park and Downtown Camden
Camden Windjammer Festival - An annual event that celebrates the famous and beautiful schooner
To celebrate Camden, Maine’s maritime heritage and tradition, Rockland’s neighbor hosts the Camden Windjammer Festival each year. Sailing ships have been part of Camden since its beginning days, and the community likes to take this opportunity to celebrate these amazing sailing vessels.
Did you know that Camden has been called the windjammer capital of the world? During the nineteenth century, Camden’s harbor was filled to the brim with schooners, sloops, and scows throughout the year. Unlike today where many of our boats are used for pleasure cruises, these sailing vessels were major modes of transportation during this time. When the steamship arrived on the scene, it seemed that windjammers were about to lose the wind from their sails. Camden local Frank Swift made sure this didn’t happen and started a small, humble business called Maine Windjammer Cruises that offered sailing expeditions to people who wanted a fun and scenic adventure. One of his original schooners, Grace Bailey, still sails out of Camden today.
Although Swift later sold his business, his impact is still strong eighty years later as windjammers still define Camden. To celebrate Frank Swift, recognize the town’s unique heritage, and to show other people the beauty of this shipping vessel, the Camden Windjammer Festival was born.
Each and every Labor Day Weekend, thousands of people travel to Camden for a few days jam-packed with events. The festival kicks off with the awe-inspiring arrival of the windjammers. This is followed by a plethora of activity: maritime heritage fair, contra dance, fireworks, auction, pancake breakfast, lobster crate race, chowder challenge, free concerts, schooner crew talent show, boat race, family scavenger hunt and outdoor movies. The festival wraps up with a boat parade and a special closing event that visitors remember for many years to follow.
