Salem Maritime Festival

Join us for the annual Salem Maritime Festival on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Salem Maritime National Historical Park on Derby Street. This event is free and open to the public. Salem Maritime Festival will feature a cardboard boat race, free tours and programs at historic buildings and the Friendship of Salem, food trucks and lawn games.

The day will kick off the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta. Teams will test their engineering, ingenuity, and artistry by building homemade boats constructed on cardboard and duct tape. Launching from Derby Beach in a series of heats, teams will race to paddle their cardboard boats in the Salem Sound.

Schedule of Events

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: The Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta (races and award ceremony)

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Historic buildings open

1:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Friendship of Salem open

Lawn games and food trucks

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