Greenport businesses to save Maritime Festival in 2026 after museum cancels it

After the East End Seaport Museum in Greenport announced plans to cancel its annual Maritime Festival for 2026, a group of village business owners will throw the 35-year-old tradition a life preserver.

The weekend-long festival is a September staple that draws up to 30,000 people to Greenport in celebration of the village’s nautical roots. The museum, which organizes the festival, said it plans to refocus on its mission to modernize exhibits, preserve Bug Light and expand education and conservation programs.

In a message posted to the museum's website Thursday, board of trustees chair Sarah Mills Sands said the board came to the decision after “valuable input” from businesses and residents.

“Looking ahead, our vision extends beyond a single weekend of celebration,” Sands wrote in the letter. “Toward year-round opportunities for learning, celebration and exploration that bring maritime history into conversation with today’s most pressing issues, from environmental stewardship to the preservation of our working waterfront.”

The sudden decision drew swift outcry from residents and local business owners who said the festival, which includes a gala, parade, street fair, shanties and maritime demonstrations, has become a key part of Greenport’s heritage and major economic driver.

Now, the Greenport Business Improvement District plans to step in and salvage the festival.

“It’s a huge seminal event over the course of the year for Greenport Village,” Richard Vandenburgh, the BID president, said in an interview. “It’s part of our Greenport brand, really. So it’s incredibly important for us to continue to keep it alive.”

Vandenburgh plans to hold an organizational meeting Nov. 10 at the Little Red Schoolhouse and form a committee of business owners and community leaders to re-imagine the festival.

“It could potentially mean that it becomes just a little bit smaller, but the idea is to make it more authentic and more inclusive of the local business community,” Vandenburgh said.

Museum officials did not respond to requests for additional comment Friday. The museum’s Land & Sea Gala, a key fundraiser that has typically kicked off the maritime weekend festivities, will still be held in 2026, Sands wrote.

The Maritime Festival is the second major event to be put on pause in Greenport in recent weeks. Earlier this fall, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County announced it would cancel its annual “Shellabration,” a popular December foodie tour that has supported marine conservation initiatives for 13 years.

Organizers said they needed a break to “re-imagine and improve” the event. In similar fashion, local business leaders said they plan to revive it.

Little Creek Oysters co-owner Ian Wile said the restaurant's nonprofit, The Hold Fast Fund, will run a new festival, "Raise Shell," on Dec. 6 and 7.

It will include an “Oyster Hall” with unlimited oysters by Long Island growers, restaurant crawl with local shellfish bites under $10, music, holiday shopping and art.

"When you pause these events, it’s hard to get it back the next year if there’s a gap," Wile said in an interview Friday. "We felt like if we could bridge that gap this year, then maybe it’s not like starting over next year.”

The threat of losing two "iconic" events in rapid succession takes away important traditions from families, Wile said. "I'm not sure that's great for community and culture," he said.