Plenty To See, Do and Experience Throughout Sag Harbor Village for HarborFest 2023

Ellen Dioguardi has some words of advice for anyone planning to visit HarborFest this weekend, particularly for newcomers or residents who have recently moved to Sag Harbor.

“For anyone new to the area, I always say that a great way to learn about Sag Harbor, and learn what the community is really about is to walk down Long Wharf during HarborFest,” the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce president said.

During the annual fall festival, which will kick off on Saturday, September 16, at 9 a.m., and will run through Sunday, September 17, at around 5 p.m., many of the village’s community organizations, nonprofits and volunteer groups will have a presence on the wharf, setting up booths and organizing various activities, conducting fundraising and disseminating information during the two-day event that celebrates Sag Harbor’s rich history and has something fun and entertaining to offer for visitors of all ages.

The Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry will host a slew of games and activities for children; the local Boy Scout troop will be selling hot dogs; the Sag Harbor Cinema, VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary, Sag Harbor PBA, Sag Harbor Historical Museum, Noyac Civic Council and others will all be out in full force, sharing their spirit with the greater community and those who come to the popular festival that celebrates the village’s rich maritime history.

As more and more fall festivals populate the calendar every year and compete for attention and eyeballs, HarborFest has not only remained popular, but has continued to grow, thanks to the hard work of Dioguardi and the chamber, and the energy the entire village puts into getting involved in the two-day affair.

The signature events of HarborFest are the whaleboat races, which will start at noon on Saturday — with the traditional ceremonial firing of “Steinbeck’s canon” — and will continue again at 1:30. On Sunday, winners will be crowned in the male and female divisions, with races kicking off again at noon (semifinals) and 3:30 (finals). The defending champions are back this year, with John K. Ott Cesspools looking to take the men’s title again, and the C’s Home and Office Management team looking to make it two in a row in the women’s division.

While Long Wharf will continue to be a hub of activity on both Saturday and Sunday, Harborfest is expanding this year with a strong presence across the street at the newly unveiled Steinbeck Park.

Beer, wine and “light bites” will be served from under tents at Steinbeck Park, courtesy of two popular Sag Harbor businesses, Kidd Squid Brewery and Sen. Festivalgoers looking to enjoy a beer or glass of wine can also make their way to the beer and wine tent on Long Wharf, hosted, as always, by Sag Harbor staple The Corner Bar.

Plenty of food vendors will be present throughout the festival, including Boa Thai, which will offer Thai food at one tent, and roasted corn at another. Another local business, Sage and Madison, will have its coffee truck set up on both days.

Live music is a big part of Harborfest as well. Alfredo Merat, Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks and the HooDoo Loungers will play back-to-back to back at Steinbeck Park on Saturday, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Long Wharf and Steinbeck Park will be the main hubs of activity on both days, but Dioguardi had another piece of advice for anyone planning to attend HarborFest — spread out.

“Not everything is taking place at the northern tip of the village,” she said.

The popular arts and crafts fair will be set up at Marine Park, with an impressive array of artisans and vendors selling everything from paintings to beach glass jewelry and other hand-crafted items.

“Sag Harbor Stories,” a series of short films by Sam Hamilton that focus on the lives of certain well-known Sag Harbor residents, like Wharf Shop owner Nada Barry, will play both on the vitrines outside the Sag Harbor Cinema and inside the theater as well, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on both Saturday and Sunday.

“Evolution,” a new exhibition by Dr. Nichelle Rivers, will be on display at the Eastville Historical Society Heritage House at 139 Hampton Street. The Eastville Historical Society celebrates the village’s rich Black and Indigenous culture and history, specifically the traditional Sag Harbor neighborhood of Eastville, which was home to a working class population of Black, Native American, and European immigrant families.

The First Presbyterian (Old Whalers’) Church on Union Street will host a historic service at 10 a.m., where the histories and stories of families who graced the pews in the 1800s will be shared. Families whose names have been on the pews at the church for centuries will be in historically accurate costumes for the reenactment.

The Sag Harbor Historical Museum will have a strong presence during the weekend as well, with a display on Long Wharf dedicated to John Steinbeck, the famous author and Sag Harbor resident who was one of the original founders of the Old Whalers’ Festival, the precursor to HarborFest. The museum, which is headquartered at the Annie Cooper Boyd House at the southern end of Main Street, is a great place to pay a visit as well.

A full schedule of events is available at sagharborchamber.com.

“All the shops throughout Sag Harbor are celebrating HarborFest in one way or another,” Dioguardi said. “Things are happening on Main Street, Bay Street, everywhere. The entire community is celebrating, so leave Long Wharf at some point and take a stroll. Don’t stay in one place, because you’ll miss something.”