Sag Harbor HarborFest

 

2023 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

 

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.   Sag Harbor Farmers Market, Bay Street.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arts and Crafts Fair, Marine Park.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Sag Harbor Stories” by Sam Hamilton playing both in the vitrines outside the Sag Harbor Cinema, 90 Main Street, and inside the main theater. Free to attend.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children’s amusements, games and activities, Long Wharf and Windmill Beach.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Classic boat display, Long Wharf.

10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “Historic Sag Harbor: Turn of the Century Photographs by William G. Howard,” Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum, 200 Main Street.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A Taste of Sag Harbor, Long Wharf.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two-hour sails aboard Luna, a 74’ Schooner from the SailHamptons fleet, to celebrate Sag Harbor. Leaving from the end of Long Wharf. $75 adults, $55 seniors. Tickets available online at sailhamptons.com, and at the SailHamptons tent on the wharf.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Honoring John Steinbeck,” a display on Long Wharf from the Sag Harbor Historical Museum, honoring the first chairman of the Old Whalers Festival.

11 a.m. Live music with the Sag Harbor Community Band, Long Wharf.

11:30 a.m. Children’s tug-of-war, Windmill Beach.

Noon Whalers Cup Races Elimination Round #1, Long Wharf and Windmill Beach.

12:30 p.m. Live music with The Popsicles, Long Wharf.

1 p.m. Kids’ Corn Shucking Contest, register at the Epic Martial Arts booth on Long Wharf.

1 to 5 p.m.  Food tasting by Charas Kitchen, Eastville Historical Society Heritage House, 139 Hampton Street.

1:30 p.m.  “Evolution,” a new exhibition by Dr. Nichelle Rivers on view, Eastville Historical Society Heritage House, 139 Hampton Street.

1:30 p.m.  Firefighters’ Cup Whaleboat Races, Sag Harbor FD Championship, Windmill Beach.

2 p.m. Children’s potato sack race, Windmill Beach.

2 p.m. Live Music with Jettykoon, Long Wharf.

2:30 p.m.  Children’s hula hoop fun, Windmill Beach.

3 p.m.  Whalers Cup Races Elimination Round #2, Long Wharf and Windmill Beach.

3 p.m.  American Beauty Cruises & Charters 90-minute nature cruise with narration on the history of Sag Harbor. Sites along the route include Barcelona Point, Cedar Point Lighthouse and the Mashomack Nature Preserve. Check in starts at 2:30 p.m. on Long Wharf. $35 adults, $25 children 5-12, $5 children 4 and under

3:30 p.m.  Keith Leaf Fire Juggler Show, Long Wharf.

3:30 p.m. Live Music with Alfredo Merat, Steinbeck Park.

5 p.m. Live Music with Gene Casey and The Lone Sharks, Steinbeck Park.

7:30 p.m.  Live Music with The HooDoo Loungers, Steinbeck Park.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

8 a.m. to Noon  Pancake breakfast, Sag Harbor Fire Department, Brick Kiln Road.

9 a.m. Architectural tour of the Old Whalers’ Church, 44 Union Street, a national historic landmark, with architect Randy Croxton.

9 to 9:45 a.m.  Free yoga on the beach with Evolve East Yoga, Windmill Beach. Students must bring their own beach blanket or towel.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arts and Crafts Fair, Marine Park.

10 a.m. The Voices of Old Whalers” historic service, Old Whalers’ Church, 44 Union Street. Hear the history and stories of the folks that once graced the pews of the church, including music and hymns from the church’s historic 1845 pipe organ.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Sag Harbor Stories” by Sam Hamilton playing both in the vitrines outside the Sag Harbor Cinema, 90 Main Street, and inside the main theater. Free to attend.  

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Children’s amusements, games and activities, Long Wharf and Windmill Beach.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Classic boat display, Long Wharf.

10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “Historic Sag Harbor: Turn of the Century Photographs by William G. Howard,” Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum, 200 Main Street. 

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  A Taste of Sag Harbor, Long Wharf.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Two-hour sails aboard Luna, a 74’ Schooner from the SailHamptons fleet, to celebrate Sag Harbor. Leaving from the end of Long Wharf. $75 adults, $55 seniors. Tickets will be available online at sailhamptons.com, and at the SailHamptons tent on the wharf. 

10:30 a.m.  Live music with Tim Skoldberg, Long Wharf.

11 a.m.  Live music with Annie Trezza, Steinbeck Park

11:30 a.m. Guided tour of the Old Burying Grounds, next to the Old Whalers’ Church, 44 Union Street.

Noon  Clam Chowder Contest, to benefit the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Long Wharf, Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce tent, $20 includes commemorative 2023 HarborFest mug.

Noon Whaleboat Races Semifinal, Windmill Beach and Long Wharf.

Noon Live music with Anita Guarino, Steinbeck Park. 

1 p.m.  Children’s corn shucking contest, Windmill Beach.

1 p.m. Historic walking tour, Eastville Historical Society Heritage House, 139 Hampton Street. 

1 p.m.  Live music with Alfredo Merat, Steinbeck Park.

1:30 p.m. Whaleboat Racing, Fire Department Final.

2 p.m. Children’s tug-of-war, Windmill Beach. 

2 p.m.  Live music with Rum Punch Mafia, Steinbeck Park

2:30 p.m. Live music with George Howard, Long Wharf 

3 p.m.  Children’s hula hoop contest, Long Wharf.

3 p.m.  American Beauty Cruises & Charters 90-minute nature cruise with narration on the history of Sag Harbor. Sites along the route include Barcelona Point, Cedar Point Lighthouse and the Mashomack Nature Preserve. Check in starts at 2:30 p.m. on Long Wharf. $35 adults, $25 children 5-12, $5 children 4 and under.

3:30 p.m.  Whaleboat Men’s and Women ‘s Championships, Windmill Beach and Long Wharf.

5 p.m. The Wharf Shop, 69 Main Street, will hold a drawing for three of the just-released Sag Harbor 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Enter all weekend, one entry per person and three lucky winners. Winners do not need to be present at the drawing. 

5:30 p.m. American Beauty Cruises & Charters two-hour sunset cruise. Check-in starts at 5 p.m. on Long Wharf. $50 adults, $35 children 12 and under.

(All times are subject to change and updates will be available
on the Chamber social media and at the Windmill on Long Wharf)

Honoring John Steinbeck
The Sag Harbor Historical Museum will set up on Long Wharf during HarborFest this year to honor the great American author John Steinbeck, who lived in Sag Harbor during his later years and was one of the founders of the Old Whalers Festival, a precursor to HarborFest. This was a particularly important year for Steinbeck’s legacy in Sag Harbor, with the Sag Harbor Partnership working with Southampton Town, Sag Harbor Village and other groups to preserve the author’s former home on a peninsula on Bluff Point, where he finished work on two of his most notable books, “Travels With Charlie” and “The Winter of Our Discontent.”

Cruising with American Beauty
American Beauty Cruises & Charters began ticketed sightseeing boat tours and private charters in 1992. Docked on Long Wharf, American Beauty II is described in one review as “Quintessential Sag Harbor” and is one of the few US Coast Guard inspected vessels in the area, with approval to accommodate up to 33 guests. For HarborFest, American Beauty is offering a 90-minute nature cruise, a narrated boat ride that includes Barcelona Point, Cedar Point Lighthouse and the Mashomack Nature Preserve. The two-hour sunset cruise departs at 5:30 p.m. Advance tickets are available at americanbeautycruises.com.
 
Whaleboat Races
HarborFest’s signature event presented by The Sag Harbor Express off Windmill Beach, where annual bragging rights and the coveted Whalers Cups are on the line. The races had their origins in the Old Whalers Festival, which began in 1964 as an effort to drum up tourism during the shoulder season. Races begin at noon on Saturday and 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and run throughout the afternoon. Men’s, Women’s, and Firefighter divisions will compete.

Fun for Kids
Long Wharf will be teeming with fun kids’ activities, with bounce castles, games, competitions, amusements and so much more. Just off the wharf on Windmill Beach will be tug-of-wars, hula hoop contests and the annual corn shucking contest, all presented by Epic Martial Arts. Face painting and tattoos for kids are new to this year’s festival. Also, stop by The Wharf Shop on Main Street and enter to win the newly-released Sag Harbor jigsaw puzzle.

Live Music on Long Wharf
This year’s festival will feature live music across town with musicians taking to Long Wharf and Steinbeck Park throughout the day on both Saturday and Sunday, including long-time favorites like the Sag Harbor Community Band and Alfredo Merat, along with new names like The Popsicles and Jettykoon. Saturday night of the festival wraps up with a 5 p.m. performance by Gene Casey and The Lone Sharks and a 7:30 p.m. show with the HooDoo Loungers, both in Steinbeck Park.

Clam Chowder Contest
The can’t-miss event of the festival is the famous HarborFest Clam Chowder Contest, which begins at noon on Sunday. Sample chowders from local restaurants and take home a 2023 commemorative HarborFest mug! The event costs $20 to participate and will benefit the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce.