The Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce has announced the return of its annual fall festival, HarborFest, which was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The post-Labor Day tradition, which attracts tourists and locals alike to the Sag Harbor waterfront, will return the weekend of September 11 to 12.
“This year’s festival is shaping up to be one of our best ever,” said Gavin Menu, the president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve added more live music, more fun kids’ events like a petting zoo on Long Wharf, greater community collaboration and the same great traditions that have always defined the festival.”
Whaleboat races will return to Windmill Beach as the marquee event of the weekend with races taking place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The championship races for the men and women divisions will be held starting at 3:30 PM on Sunday.
“Ever since the early days of the festival in the 1960s, whaleboat racing has been the heart and soul of HarborFest,” said Menu. “I’ve spoken to many of the regular competitors, and they’re excited to get back on the water off Windmill Beach.”
Sag Harbor’s rich history will be on full display across the village with groups like the Sag Harbor Historical Society, the John Jermain Memorial Library, the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum and the Eastville Community Historical Society hosting events and happenings all weekend long. Canio’s Books will host its annual marathon reading of “Moby Dick” at locations across Sag Harbor, starting Friday and running all throughout the weekend.
The Chamber’s annual HarborFest Father’s Day Arts & Crafts Fair will be held in Marine Park on Bay Street on Saturday and Sunday. The event will be held from 9 AM to 5 PM both days, with more than 50 talented artists and crafters displaying their work for sale.
The Parks and Recreation Association of Sag Harbor will launch its annual 5K run/walk to help raise money for Mashashimuet Park improvements on Saturday, September 11. The event, “A Grand-run for the Grandstand” will raise money for the refurbishment of the park’s grandstand, which was built in 1908. The run will start at 8:30 a.m. and participants can register at mashashimuetpark.org/5K.
Also returning this year is the famous HarborFest Clam Chowder Contest, with The Law Office of John J. Leonard sponsoring a $500 award for the winning chowder. The event, which is a fundraiser for the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Sunday, September 12, beginning at noon.
“HarborFest was too important a tradition to let it fade away,” Menu said. “We’re hoping to return this year with a festival that is better than ever. There’s a lot of work to do, and it truly takes the entire village for the event to come together. But I think we’re all looking forward to celebrating our community together.”
For more information, visit sagharborchamber.com.