Music	Children's Activities	Trades & Craft Demonstrations
Kalmar Nyckel	USS Constitution Master Gun Crew	Historic House Tours / 17th Century Saturday
Maritime Festival Sponsors & Partners

A Message from the Superintendent

On July 31 and August 1, the 21st Annual Salem Maritime Festival will once again fill Derby Wharf with the sights and sounds of Salem’s maritime heritage, and kick off Salem's annual Heritage Days celebration.

This year we have embraced 'Ships, Sawdust, Sailors & Song' as our theme. In doing so, we hope to inspire visitors to experience firsthand the rich heritage of Salem's historic waterfront, explore our maritime traditions and see live demonstrations of the old time seafaring trades.

I am excited to see some new programs this year, including the Muck Walk, which will get children up close and personal with the fascinating sea life on Derby Wharf. Another new program is roving storytellers, who will help visitors to the festival walk in the steps of the merchants, shopkeepers, sailors, craftsmen, customs inspectors, slaves and mill workers, all to the traditional tunes of Salem in its early seaport heyday.

All are invited to come and revel in Salem's four centuries of maritime tradition at the 21st annual Salem Maritime Festival!

Patricia Trap, Superintendent

Music Lineup

Friday, July 31:

7-9 PM:Entrain
Picnic by the waterside and dance under the stars to Entrain, a band that is "epic in sound and kaleidoscopic in vision."

Saturday, August 1:

10:00 AM: O'Carolan Etcetera
Celtic and traditional music

12:00 PM: Ye Mariners All
Maritime music from Europe and North America

2:00 PM: Buddy Walker and the Warszawiaki Orchestra
Celebrating their 60th anniversary with traditional Polish-American music.

4:00 PM: The Squeezebox Stompers
Cajun, Zydeco and blues

6:00 PM Contra Dancing with the Salem Country Orchestra and caller Sarah Gregory Smith
Contra dancing dates back to the 18th century. Bring your dancing shoes and learn some easy, energetic dances.

Children's Activities

Children’s activities will abound during the festival!

A new feature this year is the Muck Walk. Join members of the Salem Sound Coastwatch to walk along Derby Wharf at low tide and learn about seaweed, limpets, and other underwater life in Salem Harbor. Children's boots will be provided.

Kids can earn a National Park Service Junior Ranger badge by participating in activities throughout Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Walk around the site and learn about the merchants, sailors, and shopkeepers who lived in Salem during the Great Age of Sail!

Throughout the day on Derby Wharf, kite making, radio-controlled boats, 18th-century games, and other hands-on activities will engage children of all ages!

Traditional Trades & Craft Demonstrations

Try your hand at some of New England's traditional trades & crafts. Demonstrators will include:

Woodcarving
Shoemaking
Basket Making
Quilting
Spinning
Traditional Herbs
Blacksmithing 
Salt Making

The shipping and fishing industries of New England needed highly skilled craftsmen. Maritime crafts and trades demonstrators include:

Ropemaking
Decoy carving
Boat building
Model shipbuilding
Knotting
Coopering

The Kalmar Nyckel

From July 30 to August 2, Friendship will be joined at Salem Maritime by Kalmar Nyckel.

The crew of Kalmar Nyckel come to tell her story as one of America's pioneering colonial ships, whose historical significance rivals that of the Mayflower, though never been widely told. Her first voyage to the New World in 1638 World brought 24 settlers of Swedish, Finnish, German and Dutch descent to establish the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. She made a total of four roundtrip crossings of the Atlantic—more than any other ship of the era.

On Friday, July 31, Kalmar Nyckel will be hosting special programs for families. Children from 8-12 can play a world trade game, learn how to steer the ship, help move a sail, and explore this historic vessel. These programs will be free, reservations are required.  Please call 978-740-1663 by July 27 to reserve a space at the 1:00 or 3:00 programs. Each program is limited to 25 children, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Kalmar Nyckel will be open to the public for visiting during the Maritime Festival on August 1.

USS Constitution Master Gun Crew

Every hour throughout the day on August 1, the master gun team of USS Constitution will make “Old Ironsides’” history come alive. The gun team will conduct full gun exercises with a replica 1812-era 5,600-lb. cast iron long gun, complete with simulated blast of the gun, and recount stories of her famous battles in the War of 1812.

Historic House Tours and 17th Century Saturday

Salem Maritime's historic buildings, including the 1675 Narbonne House, the 1762 Derby House, and the 1819 Custom House will be open for visiting either as a self-guided tour or a ranger-guided tour.

Tours will be free, but are limited in size. You can sign up for the tours at the Orientation Center on Central Wharf.

The 1800 West India Goods Store will be open all day. Spices, coffee, tea, and other trade goods from Salem's golden age will be for sale.

17th Century Saturday

As part of Essex County's 17th century Saturday celebration, the 1675 Narbonne House will be open from 11 AM to 3 PM. Come and meet some of the residents of the Narbonne House!

On the beach next to Derby Wharf, staff from Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site and the Witch House will be demonstrating 17th century crafts and games.