Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days returns for its 57th season, with the return of many favorite offerings along with fun new events to the week-long celebration of the region’s maritime heritage.

Featured among the many ships that will arrive in the harbor during the festival will be the Coast Guard Cutter Thunderbay, a 140-foot icebreaker. Thunderbay will arrive on Wednesday during the Gathering of the Fleet, which will feature more ships than ever before.

The annual festival will run from Sunday, June 23 to Saturday, June 29 starting with a new event - the Arthur Webster Memorial Rock Skipping Contest at noon on Sunday. Competitors of all ages and abilities will compete for bragging rights and prizes by local rock artist Charles “Geez” Asbury and sweets from Orne’s Candies. The entry fee is $5, and all proceeds from the event will benefit the Boothbay Region Health Center.

Throughout the week, a variety of Maine artists will provide musical entertainment in the center of the action at the Whale Park Stage Concerts. All concerts are presented free and all are welcome.

The Antique Boat Parade, a perennial favorite, moves to Thursday afternoon and will include an opportunity to enjoy music, drink and appetizer specials, meet the captains and hear their wonderful stories about the sea, all at the Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort where many of the boats will tie up after the parade.

Other exciting events include fireworks on Wednesday night, the lighted boat parade on Saturday night and the street parade on Wednesday afternoon. The Crab Cake Cookoff returns on Monday afternoon, with top local chefs competing with their best recipes, all to benefit the Windjammer Days Festival. Times and more details for all Windjammer Days events can be found at www.boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org.

Windjammer Days is the first major event of the tourist season, and it represents both a chance for visitors to enjoy what this seaside community has to offer and the opportunity for businesses to benefit from the crowds.

“This event brings tens of thousands of visitors to Boothbay Harbor,” said Peter Ripley, president of Friends of Windjammer Days, the group that organizes the festival. “We are proud of this opportunity to show off the best of our region, and thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, to offer most events at no charge.”

Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days 2019 is presented by the Friends of Windjammer Days and, while new sponsors are coming aboard every day, these are the sponsors committed as of today: Giles Family, J. Edward Knight, Pine State Beverage, Knickerbocker Group, Pepsi, Carousel Marina, Linekin Bay Resort, Yale Cordage, Boothbay Harbor Marina, Suntory—Cruzan Rum, Compass Rose Events, Tugboat Inn, Fisherman's Wharf Inn, Boothbay Harbor Inn, Oceanside, Gimbel and Sons Country Store, Hodgdon Yachts, Southport Island Marine, Heddon Yacht Charters, Sea Tow, Nelson Family, Tindal and Callahan Real Estate, Samuel Adams, Bristol Marine, Breakaway Charters, Herger3 Advertising and Design, Jansons, Capt. Fish Whale Watching, Getagadget, LincolnHealth, Ram Island Preservation Trust, Boothbay Harbor Electric, Valley Distributors/Bud Light, A Maine Wedding, Pinnacle Vodka, Braeon, Boothbay Harbor Country Club, Breakaway Fishing Charters, Nathaniel Wilson Sailmakers, Maine Magazine, Maine Home and Design, WHOM Radio, Yankee Magazine.