"Maritime has always been about our relationship with the water," Sarah Phillips-Loth said when the forecast for the original September weekend called for heavy rain and wind. She heads the steering committee for this year's festival. Organizers chose to keep the whole weekend together and move it. The Land & Sea Gala is now Friday, Oct. 16, with the festival itself on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18.
The date change is the smaller story. The 36th Maritime is the first one organized by people who run storefronts in the village. Because of the reschedule, it now lands in a stretch of October that is filled almost entirely by local organizations: the museum's regatta, the library's Halloween parade and a TV festival at Sound View. The weekend makes the most sense read as part of that calendar.
How the festival changed hands
The East End Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation ran Maritime for 35 years. On Oct. 30, 2025, it announced it was stepping away to focus on its core mission, citing "many factors and voices." The museum named three priorities for 2026: modernizing the museum and its visitor experience, preserving Bug Lighthouse, and expanding education and conservation work for the bays and the working waterfront. After that announcement, the Business Improvement District said it would explore a "more authentic festival," with more local businesses, more working-waterfront experiences and fewer competing outside vendors.
The group that took the festival on is the Greenport Business Owners Alliance, which is separate from the BID. Four business owners lead it: Sarah Phillips-Loth of First and South, Rena Wilhelm of The Weathered Barn, Kara Hoblin of North Fork Art Collective and Kim Loper of Harbor Pet. Phillips-Loth was not new to the event. She told the Village Board she had served on the museum's board for six years and ran the gala for all six.
Her pitch at the Feb. 17 work session was cautious. "I don't see any real changes happening for the festival this year," she told the board. "I think it would be best for us to make small additions, incorporate more of the businesses."
The museum also stays tied to the festival financially. Under a three-year partnership, it receives a graduated share of festival revenue. The alliance now manages the Land & Sea Gala, but the gala's auction proceeds still go directly to the museum. The Hold Fast, Stay True fund, the Greenport BID and the village are also backing the effort. The alliance's postponement release lists the museum, Hold Fast, Stay True and Friends of Mitchell Park among its collaborators, along with businesses, artists, musicians and waterfront participants.
The program carries the local businesses' names
The "small additions" Phillips-Loth described show up across the schedule. Much of the program names partners you can walk to from Mitchell Park. Public hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The festival's footprint covers Mitchell Park, the marina and the surrounding streets.
| When | What | Who and where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16, 6 p.m. | Land & Sea Gala, $125 general admission, with local tastings, drinks and dancing | Mitchell Park Waterfront Lawn |
| Sat., 11 a.m. | Maritime Parade | Village streets |
| Sat., noon to 3 p.m. | Greenport Community Rowing pilot, wooden gigs with four rowers and a coxswain, no experience needed | On the water |
| Sat., 1 p.m. | Pie-eating contest | Individual pies from Blue Duck Bakery, with 1943 Pizza Bar and Brix & Rye as partners |
| Sat., 2 p.m. | Fishing Derby, all ages | Aboard the Peconic Star, behind the East End Seaport Museum |
| Sat., 2 to 4 p.m. | Hot Sauce Blind Tasting, $5 to enter | Festival grounds |
| Both days | Family Treasure Hunt | Clue stops at village landmarks and organizations |
| Sun., 10 a.m. | Fish-filleting contest | Festival grounds |
| Sun., 12:30 or 1 p.m. | Cardboard Boat Regatta, $25 per boat | Mitchell Park Beach, per the village listing |
| Sun., 1 p.m. | Work Boat Race, inboard and outboard divisions | Starts at the Greenport Breakwater |
| Sun., 1:30 to 3 p.m. | David Berson's Shuck n' Jive sea shanties | East End Seaport Museum |
| Sun., 3 p.m. | The Mudflats | Railroad Museum of Long Island caboose, 440 4th Street |
The two times listed for the cardboard regatta come from two official sources. The festival site says 12:30 p.m. The Village of Greenport's event listing says 1 p.m. at Mitchell Park Beach. If you're building a boat with your kids, plan for the earlier time. The regatta has three classes: Young Buccaneers for ages 12 and under, Jolly Rogers for adults and Pirates Outlaw, where anything goes.
Two items on Sunday morning go beyond small additions. Organizers say they are working toward a possible Guinness World Records attempt at the fish-filleting contest. The Saturday rowing program is labeled a pilot, which suggests the alliance plans to watch how it does before committing to it in future years. Familiar events are still on the program. The festival site calls the Snapper Derby and the Cardboard Boat Races legacy events, though this year's schedule lists the derby simply as the "Fishing Derby."
What the extra three weeks were for
The postponement bought the alliance three weeks. It said it would use them to reconfirm participants and programming, coordinate the new weekend with the village and public-safety partners, and share the stories of the people and businesses taking part. An updated schedule is due once those confirmations are done, and existing sponsors, vendors, merchants and organizations are being contacted directly with updated logistics. For road, shuttle or parking details, check the festival website the week of the event.
One item still on the festival site is out of date. A standalone parade section further down the page still lists "Saturday, September 26," the original date. The parade is on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 11 a.m.
Mayor Kevin Stuessi thanked the alliance, the East End Seaport Museum and the volunteers for the work done so far, and said the village is looking forward to the October festival.
The rest of October, organized by local groups
The new festival date fits into a month that other local organizations had already filled. In date order, Greenport's October looks like this.
- Saturday, Oct. 10. The East End Seaport Museum holds its Bug Light Classic Regatta in Greenport Harbor and Gardiner's Bay, a week before Maritime. The parking advice on its registration page was written when the regatta and Maritime shared a September weekend, so it doesn't apply to festival weekend.
- Monday, Oct. 12. The village's paid-parking season for Front and Main Streets and the Adams Street lots ends. It has run since Memorial Day weekend. That means the rescheduled festival falls after the end of the paid-parking season the village announced.
- Friday through Sunday, Oct. 16 to 18. The Land & Sea Gala and the Maritime Festival.
- Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 21 and 22. The 11th Annual North Fork TV Festival, with events at Sound View Greenport and The Halyard.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. The Halloween Parade & Celebration, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., around Mitchell Park and Moore's Lane, starting from Floyd Memorial Library. The Village, the BID, the Fire Department, Rotary and Floyd Memorial Library co-sponsor it.
Two other schedules affect October plans. On weekdays, buses replace LIRR trains between Ronkonkoma and Greenport from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. The MTA timetable runs the change through Nov. 8. That is a better source than the village newsletter, which gives an end date that doesn't match the calendar. If guests are coming out by train for the Friday gala, have them check the MTA's current notices first.
Mitchell Park's attractions have shifted to shoulder-season hours. The village's September newsletter lists the carousel on weekends and school holidays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the mini-train on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Camera Obscura on weekends from 10 a.m. to noon or by appointment. Those were the most recent hours published, but they haven't been rechecked for October.
New on Front and Main since spring
Some of the businesses behind the festival changed this year too. The Goose, a children's shop at 211 E. Front St. run by Bridget and Eric Elkin, opened over the Fourth of July weekend. The owners said they planned to stay open after summer and stock Halloween costumes and holiday gifts. 2D Shop, from co-creators Ron and Jake Rose, was announced for 310 Front St. with a Sept. 26 opening. Call ahead before you plan a visit. Encanto Crepes & Café, owned by Gustavo Acero Jr. and Yuri Catherine Rojas, moved earlier this year to 140C Main St., the former Di Angela Leather storefront. It is listed as open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., which covers both festival days.
For more on the village beyond festival weekend, see our Greenport neighborhood page and our Greenport harbor village lifestyle guide.
If you have a question about Greenport this October, from where the festival footprint ends to how this season compares with past ones for village homes near Mitchell Park and the marina, Cheryl & Regan are glad to talk it through over coffee on Main Street. You can also request a personalized market consultation and free home valuation any time.
