Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival 2026 Guide
Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival 2026 Guide brings two days of ships, Coast Guard demonstrations, living history, family activities, music and maritime traditions to New London on Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13.
Spread between New London Waterfront Park and Fort Trumbull State Park, the festival turns much of the city’s waterfront into a celebration of Connecticut’s relationship with the sea. Visitors can tour military and historic vessels, watch Coast Guard crews in action, explore living-history encampments, hear live music and take part in activities for children.
This year’s festival also arrives during a significant anniversary year for New London. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and several festival events recognize the milestone, including the release of a commemorative U.S. Postal Service stamp.
Then Saturday night takes a decidedly different turn.
A procession through downtown New London culminates in the traditional Burning of Benedict Arnold, followed shortly afterward by a 300-drone light show over the Thames River.
Admission to the festival is free, and free water taxis and shuttle buses will connect its two main locations throughout the weekend.
Two Festival Locations, One Waterfront Celebration
The festival takes place simultaneously at New London Waterfront Park and Fort Trumbull State Park.
Don’t worry about choosing one.
Visitors can park near either location and use the festival’s free Thames River Heritage Park water taxi or shuttle buses to travel between them. That makes it possible to tour vessels downtown, catch activities at Fort Trumbull and return to Waterfront Park without repeatedly moving your car.
Most weekend activities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, although several special events take place outside those hours.
Ships and Vessels You Can Explore
One of the festival’s biggest attractions is the opportunity to get close to working military vessels, historic ships and maritime training vessels.
USCGC Eagle
The unmistakable USCGC Eagle is scheduled to be part of the festival.
The 295-foot, three-masted barque serves as the Coast Guard’s sail-training ship, giving Coast Guard Academy cadets practical experience at sea. Originally built in Germany as Horst Wessel, Eagle was taken by the United States as a war reparation following World War II.
Today, the tall ship is one of only two active commissioned sailing vessels in the U.S. military, alongside USS Constitution.
Amistad
The schooner Amistad recreates the type of Baltimore Clipper believed to resemble La Amistad, the vessel at the center of the historic 1839 revolt by enslaved Africans.
The modern ship was created as a floating classroom, using the story of the Amistad uprising and its connection to Connecticut to teach history while traveling from port to port.
Denis Sullivan
The three-masted Denis Sullivan is a wooden schooner modeled after the Great Lakes sailing vessels of the 19th century.
Originally based in Milwaukee, the vessel offers visitors another opportunity to experience traditional sailing ship design up close.
T/V Shuman
The 65-foot Training Vessel Shuman gives U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets hands-on experience with navigation, ship handling and seamanship.
Originally constructed as a survey vessel for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it now serves as a working classroom on the Thames River.
Coast Guard Response Boats
Visitors will also be able to see some considerably faster Coast Guard equipment.
Station New London’s 45-foot Response Boat-Medium can exceed 40 knots and operates in seas up to 12 feet. It is used for missions including search and rescue, maritime security and law enforcement.
The smaller 29-foot Response Boat-Small II can reach more than 45 knots and is designed for fast response in coastal and shallow-water environments.
Naval Submarine Base Harbor Security Boats
The Navy will also be represented by Naval Submarine Base New London’s Harbor Security Boats.
The 27-foot vessels patrol waters surrounding the submarine base. Powered by twin outboards producing a combined 450 horsepower, they can reach approximately 40 knots.
Kings Point
Built in 2014, Kings Point is a 3,000-horsepower twin-screw tug constructed by Chesapeake Shipbuilding for the Vane Brothers Company.
Enviro-Lab II / Project Oceanology
Groton-based Project Oceanology brings marine science into the mix aboard Enviro-Lab II.
Project O introduces thousands of students and adults each year to marine science through hands-on exploration of the ocean and Long Island Sound.
Saturday: Coast Guard Action, Music and a Big Night on the Waterfront
Saturday begins with the festival’s Opening Ceremony at 10 a.m.
Throughout the day, visitors can explore vendors, tour vessels and visit the Project Oceanology touch tank.
Families have several activities of their own, including free face painting, costume making and a children’s walking parade featuring mermaids and privateers.
At noon, Steve Elci joins the Little Mermaid and the Wayfinder for a children’s sing-along.
Things get considerably louder at 1:30 p.m.
Coast Guard Search and Rescue Demonstration
A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60T helicopter is scheduled to conduct a search-and-rescue demonstration.
These aircraft operate from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and are used throughout New England for search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, environmental protection and homeland security missions.
Seeing one operate over New London’s harbor should be one of the weekend’s standout demonstrations.
Tactical Boat Operations
Also beginning at 1:30 p.m., crews from U.S. Coast Guard Station New London will demonstrate tactical boat maneuvers during a simulated security-zone intrusion.
The demonstration recreates techniques Coast Guard crews use to protect ports and critical infrastructure and intercept vessels that don’t comply with security orders.
The commanding officer of Station New London will narrate the demonstration.
Saturday Night: Benedict Arnold Burns Again
One of New London’s strangest and most enduring traditions returns Saturday evening.
At 7:30 p.m., the March of the Traitor begins its procession along Bank Street toward Waterfront Park.
The event commemorates Benedict Arnold’s infamous September 1781 attack on New London and Groton after the Connecticut-born Revolutionary War general defected to the British.
Flock Theatre brings the history to life with period costumes, music, fifes and drums before the procession reaches the waterfront.
At approximately 8 p.m., an effigy of Benedict Arnold is burned.
Visitors are encouraged to join the procession, and period clothing is welcome.
Then Look Up: 300 Drones Over the Thames
Don’t leave after Benedict Arnold meets his fiery fate.
At approximately 8:15 p.m. Saturday, a fleet of 300 synchronized drones is scheduled to take to the sky over the New London waterfront.
The drones will create illuminated shapes and images above the Thames River through choreographed formations accompanied by music.
The show can be viewed from the New London waterfront.
Personal drones are prohibited during the festival.
Sunday: Fishing, Maritime Skills and More Music
Sunday begins another full day of free vessel tours, vendors, authors and the Project Oceanology touch tank from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At 11 a.m., Submarine Veterans will conduct a Tolling of the Boats, a remembrance ceremony honoring submarines and submariners lost at sea.
Families can also head to Fort Trumbull for Breezeline’s Reel Time with Kids Fishing Clinic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Children can learn casting, reeling and fishing safety in a hands-on setting. No registration is required, equipment is provided, and participating children can receive a free fishing pole while supplies last.
Navy vs. Coast Guard: Sea-Service Showdown
At noon Sunday, attention shifts to Waterfront Park for a little interservice rivalry.
The Sea-Service Showdown Maritime Skills Challenge pits Navy and Coast Guard participants against each other in a friendly competition involving maritime skills, strength and teamwork.
The competition runs from noon to 2 p.m.
Come prepared to pick a side.
Sunday’s festival concludes with reggae from Tambulaytay, performing from 2 to 5 p.m.
Living History at Fort Trumbull
Fort Trumbull provides an appropriate backdrop for another part of the weekend.
American and British colonial reenactors will establish 18th-century encampments Saturday and Sunday, complete with canvas tents, camp kitchens and open fires.
Visitors can walk through the camps, speak with reenactors and see demonstrations of marching formations, military drills and everyday life during the Revolutionary era.
It adds something the ship tours can’t: instead of simply looking at Connecticut’s maritime past, you can walk through a piece of it.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy 150th Anniversary Stamp
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s 150th anniversary will also be commemorated during the festival with a special U.S. Postal Service stamp presentation and availability.
The stamp recognizes the Academy’s history in New London and features Coast Guard imagery, including Eagle.
The commemorative stamp will be available during festival hours Saturday and Sunday.
Friday Prelude: Pirates and The Guardian
Although the main festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, activities begin Friday, September 11.
At 8:30 a.m., New London will hold a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
At 5 p.m., the New London Privateers & Buccaneers take over City Pier with a celebration of pirate lore, including a pirate-map scavenger hunt and an adult costume contest.
At 7 p.m., the Garde Arts Center presents The Guardian, the 2006 Coast Guard rescue-swimmer drama starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.
Saturday Schedule
10 a.m. — Opening Ceremony
10 a.m.–5 p.m. — Vendors, Free Boat Tours and Project O Touch Tank
10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Free Face Painting
10–11:30 a.m. — Make a Free Parade Costume
10 a.m.–5 p.m. — U.S. Coast Guard Academy 150th Anniversary Stamp
11:30 a.m. — Mermaid & Privateer Children’s Walking Parade
Noon–1 p.m. — Kids’ Sing-Along with Steve Elci, Little Mermaid and The Wayfinder
1:30 p.m. — U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter Demonstration
1:30 p.m. — USCG Tactical Boat Operations Demonstration
2 p.m. — Community Drum Circle
3 p.m. — Red Lion
6 p.m. — Mass Conn Fusion
7:30 p.m. — March of the Traitor: Benedict Arnold Procession
8–8:15 p.m. — Burning of Benedict Arnold
Approximately 8:15 p.m. — 300-Drone Light Show
Sunday Schedule
10 a.m.–5 p.m. — Vendors, Authors, Free Boat Tours and Project O Touch Tank
10 a.m.–5 p.m. — U.S. Coast Guard Academy 150th Anniversary Stamp
11 a.m. — Sub Vets Tolling of the Boats
11 a.m.–2 p.m. — Breezeline’s Reel Time with Kids Fishing Clinic at Fort Trumbull
Noon–2 p.m. — Sea-Service Showdown Maritime Skills Challenge at Waterfront Park
2–5 p.m. — Tambulaytay
Getting Around the Festival
This is worth explaining prominently because the festival is essentially one event with two campuses.
Free transportation connects Waterfront Park and Fort Trumbull throughout the weekend.
Visitors can ride the Thames River Heritage Park water taxi between locations or use the festival’s free shuttle buses.
That means there’s little reason to drive back and forth. Park once, then use the boats and buses.
Where to Park
For Waterfront Park, visitors have several options.
Waterfront metered lot:
13 Tilley Street
New London, CT
Water Street parking garage:
160 Water Street
New London, CT
On-street parking is also available in downtown New London.
For Fort Trumbull State Park:
90 Walbach Street
New London, CT
Street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood. The Fort Trumbull parking lot itself is reserved for handicapped parking during the festival.
Coming by Train or Ferry
This is one of those rare regional festivals where leaving the car home is genuinely practical.
New London Union Station, at 27 Water Street, is within walking distance of Waterfront Park and is served by Amtrak.
Visitors can also arrive in New London aboard Cross Sound Ferry from Long Island, Block Island Ferry or Fishers Island Ferry. The ferry terminals are within walking distance of the festival.
Private boaters can reserve overnight dockage or moorings at New London Waterfront Park.
Event Details
Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival 2026
Dates: Saturday, September 12 & Sunday, September 13, 2026
Main Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Locations: New London Waterfront Park and Fort Trumbull State Park
Waterfront Park: 2 State Street, New London, CT
Fort Trumbull: 90 Walbach Street, New London, CT
Admission: Free
Transportation Between Venues: Free water taxi and shuttle bus
More information, schedule updates and vessel information are available at the Event Website link below.
