The Camden Windjammer Festival

 The Camden Windjammer Festival presents a weekend brimming with family fun, fireworks, maritime exhibits and a LOT of boats.

Camden, MAINE – This Labor Day weekend, the 2013 Camden Windjammer Festival is pulling out all the stops with a rich and full schedule of events to celebrate the history of Maine’s windjammers. The annual weekend event kicks off with a parade of 18 schooners sailing into one of the country’s most scenic harbors followed by a crew talent show and fireworks.
 What: Camden Windjammer Festival                                            
Where: Camden Harbor, Maine
When: August 30th through September 1st, 2013
Highlights: Schooner sailing tours, fireworks, the Maritime Heritage Fair, Pirate invasion of Camden, lobster crate race, build-a-boat contest, Sea Dog Show, radio controlled boat race and more!
Full Schedule online at http://www.camdenwindjammerfestival.org
         
The Camden Windjammer festival is a celebration of sailing and tourism as marked by passenger sailing expeditions that, in Camden, began in the 1930s. Visitors enjoy a wide range of sailing tours and shore-side family-friendly activities.

The Lobster Crate Race is a chance for the fleet of foot to cross a line of crates… without taking a swim. In the Build-A-Boat Contest, teams begin with the same materials and create a wild array of boats that compete on the water on Sunday. Pancakes and chowder on Saturday keep visitors tastefully entertained. Sunday also features the colorful attack on Camden by the Pirates of the Dark Rose, with their swords out and cannons ablaze… all in good fun.

The Camden Windjammer Festival is the largest gathering of schooners on the East Coast. “When the schooners enter the harbor framed by the Camden hills, it’s just amazing to see,” said Meg Maiden, marketing director at the Maine Windjammer Association. “The windjammers are powered only by sail and have no engines; several are designated National Historic Landmarks.”

“In addition, the festival has so many things to offer all of our visitors, from families to old salts,” adds Emily Lusher, Festival Organizer.

Thousands of people from all over the world attend Camden’s end-of-summer event, which dates back to the mid-1990s. The town expects another record turnout this year.

All Festival events are free to visitors and exhibitors, making this a truly community event. Travel and lodging packages are available. For more information, visit http://www.mainedreamvacation.org or call 1-800-223-5459.

About the Camden Windjammer Festival
The Camden Windjammer Festival is a community-led celebration of Camden’s maritime heritage and living traditions.  The festival is coordinated by the Camden Windjammer Festival Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The festival is produced in partnership with the Town of Camden, Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Camden Downtown Business Group. Sponsors this year include Down East, Portland Press Herald, Courier Publications, Camden National Bank, Cellardoor Winery, The First, Allen Insurance and Financial, Rockport Automotive, Point Lookout, Country Inn, and Lord Camden Inn .