News Release

Festival of the Sea Returns to Hyde Street Pier on Saturday, August 19, 2017

Festival of the Sea Promo Poster

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News Release Date: July 21, 2017

Contact: Lynn Cullivan, 415-561-7006

CELEBRATE THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH-TECH ON THE HIGH SEAS
Experience Hyde Street Pier’s Free Festival of the Sea This Summer
Saturday, August 19, 2017, 9:30am-5pm at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – On Saturday, August 19, 2017 from 9:30am-5pm, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will host its Festival of the Sea. Guests are invited to upgrade their maritime culture database with a full day’s download of family activities and traditional sea music. The "High-Tech on the High Seas" festival theme will explore the past century of shifting maritime technologies as well as the cultural and sociological implications of its evolution. Admission to Festival of the Sea is free.

“We look forward to this fantastic opportunity to share the depth of our maritime history in a fun and engaging way,” said Mark Neuweld, Supervisory Park Ranger. “I am always amazed how the Bay Area community, from artists, to living history actors, to local groups, rally together to keep maritime history alive and tangible for our future generations.”

Event Activities:
10am-4pm: Make maritime-themed children’s crafts. Learn how to weave a rope. Enjoy an art show featuring local artists who have worked on sail and cargo vessels, and who draw inspiration from their work at sea. Learn how to caulk a deck. Help raise and lower a dory from the Pier. Meet representatives from local parks, environmental and history non-profits, and the Park’s Research Center.

10-11am/1-4pm: Watch Park riggers splice, worm, and parcel line for the historic fleet.

10:30am-5pm: Local and internationally renowned traditional music acts will perform on three stages. The lineup includes: Kevin Burke, Diana Gameros and Maria Jose Montijo, Shay Black, The Holdstocks, Bu Falle African Drum and Dance Ensemble, Maureen Brennan, Ron and Natalie Daise, The Dogwatch Nautical Band, Patrick Landeza, Richard Adrianowicz, Simon Spalding, The Fire, Brass Farthing, Chris Maden, Megan Messinger, Sean Wahl, Laurel North, Amelia Hogan, Suzanne Friend, Basil Trollop and Friends, Susan Walsh, Penny Opry, Steve Canright, and Erin Rose Conner.

11:00am-12:30pm: For visitors seeking a more in-depth examination of the cultural implications of maritime technology of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Park will host the panel discussion High-Tech on the High Seas. Expert panelists include boat builder and designer Robert Darr, curator of history Stephen Canright, California Maritime Academy professor Dr. Colin Dewey, and National Park Service public historian David Pelfrey. This lively, multidisciplinary discussion about the nature of maritime technology, its sociological consequences, and its enduring relevance will be presented in the perfect setting - aboard the 1895 schooner C.A. Thayer. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Please RSVP to e-mail us by Friday, August 18, 2017.

11am-2pm: Watch volunteers soften planks using steam, and bend them to create a boat’s hull

11:30am: Yawl Launch – Help celebrate as a Park-built boat hits the water for the first time.

12:30-3pm: C.A. Thayer Open House

2-3pm: Breeches Buoy Demonstration - Traditional Ship-to-Shore Rescue System

For a more detailed schedule and performer bios, visit http://go.nps.gov/SeaFestival2017

About San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, includes a fleet of historic ships, Visitor Center, Maritime Museum, Maritime Research Center, and the Aquatic Park Historic District. For more information, please call 415-447-5000 or visit nps.gov/safr, Twitter @SFMaritimeNPS, and Facebook @SanFranciscoMaritimeNHP. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers assisted listening services on request. Sign Language interpreter services need to be requested at least five days in advance. Contact Accessibility Coordinator/Chief of Interpretation for more information at 415-859-6797, or e-mail us.



Last updated: July 24, 2017

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