NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — It’s less than 24 hours away from the start of America’s largest, longest-running, free maritime festival, as the 48th annual Harborfest opens up at noon Friday with the Parade of Sail.
From the food to the music and fireworks, there’s non-stop action from the start.
“It’s a major celebration of Norfolk in general,” said FestEvents Marketing Director Jordan Lett. “We’re celebrating our longstanding heritage and tradition of maritime and military culture here in Norfolk, but I like to say there’s something for everybody at Harborfest.”
There’s also some new features to Harborfest this year.
“We’ve got a really cool action sports zone with a big half pipe and a bunch of other features, you can come down and watch professional BMXers and skateboarders do their thing,” Lett said. “We’re paying tribute to the late great Jimmy Buffett with a themed bar called Margarita Chill.”
There’s also plenty of vendors setting up shop for the weekend, including LazerEdge. Emily Pfitzner traveled from Mount Airy, North Carolina for Harborfest and they created a Norfolk skyline and seascape design special for the event.
“I’m really excited,” Pfitzner said. “We did that just for the show.”
They’re also licensed with more than 120 schools in the U.S. to use their logos to create wooden wall-hangs, coasters and ornaments.
One of the favorites, though, is the Parade of Sail. First Mate Fern Hoffmann from the AJ Meerwald said they’re excited to spread the love that being out on the water can bring.
“I’m excited to be here,” Hoffman said. “It’s fun to be around. It’s always great to get these ships together and we get to see all our friends. It’s a small industry.”
The ship is from Bivalve, Maryland, built as an oyster dredger and it was based mostly in the Morris River and Delaware Bay.
“It’s lovely to see see people seeing that and get excited about it, get folks on board,” Hoffmann said. “We’re excited to be open for dock tours and have folks come down. Check it out, see what we do. Talk to us about our lives onboard and about the history of oystering.”
For a full schedule and list of performances, click here.