Salem Maritime Festival

The Salem Maritime Festival has been operating yearly since 1990. The first one, on June 2, 1990, was a collaboration between Peabody Museum,

the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Essex Institute Museum.

Since the beginning there has been musical acts (usually traditional music) along with craftsmen demonstrating boat building, caulking, sail making, and decoy carving

and lightship baskets.

The festival was inspired by the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival, run annual since 1967. In 1988, the Smithsonian's festival featured "Ingenuity and Tradition;

the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Some 2 or 3 dozen folklorists participated in planning the Washington festival. It motivated them to continue the tradition so the

people of their state could see their folk traditions. Lowell started their folk festival at the same time and followed a different path, one more focused on

world cultures.

Festival events are always free to the public.

See Also

Vertical File in Salem Collection - Maritime Festival

"Ship ahoy at Salem's first Maritime Festival" Salem Evening News, May 25, 1990, p. 10 B

"Seafarers remembered; Mass. Maritime Festival presents crafts and music" Salem Evening News, June ? 1990.