Working Waterfront Festival

The Working Waterfront Festival

Celebrating Commercial Fishing — America's Oldest Industry

Celebrate Commercial Fishing, America's Oldest Industry!

Join us in New Bedford, America's largest commercial fishing port, to learn about the men and women who harvest the North Atlantic. Walk the decks of a scalloper, dine on fresh seafood, mend a fishing net and watch a Coast Guard rescue demonstration. Experience the workings of the industry which brings seafood from the ocean to your plate.

New Bedford, Massachusetts
Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 3 — Steamship Pier

2012 Festival Dates:
September 29 & 30, 2012

Saturday 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Festival held rain or shine!

View pictures and video clips of what people experience at the festival!

Want to help? Volunteer!

The Working Waterfront Festival and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park invite you aboard the F/V Huntress

Take a virtual tour of a working scallop boat.

Working Waterfront Festival and National Park
Team Up for Dock-U-Mentaries

Monthly Film Series Continues Friday, February 17th

Films about the working waterfront are presented on the third Friday of each month beginning at 7:00 PM in the theater of the Corson Maritime Learning Center, located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. All programs are open to the public and presented free of charge.

The next programs in the series are:

The Dock-u-mentaries film series continues Friday, February 17th at 7PM with two silent films.

The Sailor's Sacrifice is a short (13 minute) romance drama by the Vitagraph Company shot in 1909 southern Maine. A sailor leaves his family to go to sea and is thought lost when his boat sinks. The family loses its home and the young woman has to dig clams with her dog Jean.
Our evening feature is the ever popular Down to the Sea in Ships. This whaling drama is most famous as the screen debut of Clara Bow. Besides that, it is also solid entertainment, offering both the best (documentary-like scenes of a whale being gutted) and the worst (some scenery-devouring histrionics) that silent film had to offer. Shot on location in New Bedford and New England in 1922, the intertitles are sprinkled with quotes from Moby Dick and other whaling books.

SailorsSacrifice DowntotheSeainShips

Upcoming Programs

TBD

March 16th - What's Cookin' on the Cape - Bay Scallops - (Everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask)

April 20th - Ruthie B., Ruthie B.

May 18th - Double Feature: Challenges Facing Working Waterfronts:
  • Maine's Disappearing Working Waterfront
  • In Their Own Words: Perseverance and Resilience in Two Florida Fishing Communities

Voices From The Waterfront

Voices From The Waterfront

Pouring nearly a billion dollars a year into the local economy, New Bedford is the largest fishing port in the United States. Along with the men and women who fish local waters, countless other trades support the fishing fleet, creating a vibrant and powerful economic engine centered in the heart of New England. The portraits within this book of the individuals who work the waterfront provide a window into the complexity of the industry as a whole.

Visit our new online store to get your copy.

The book is also available for sale at the following retailers:

Working Waterfront Festival Voices from the Port Radio Project

MORE VOICES FROM THE PORT is a series of short audio pieces based on oral histories collected as part of the Working Waterfront Documentation Project. The programs are designed to provide a window into the history and culture of the working port, and encourage listeners to visit New Bedford, America's #1 Port to learn more. The project was made possible with funding from Mass Humanities.

Latest episode:
The Old Auction Program 1: "The foundation of the industry"
Click here to listen.

Experience an authentic, commercial fishing community . . .

  • Tour commercial fishing boats, tugboats, Coast Guard Vessels and historic vessels.
  • Listen to the fishing community share stories of their lives, skills and experiences.
  • Watch demonstrations of net mending, trap making, fish filleting and more.
  • Enjoy performances of music, dance, poetry, and theater.
  • Hear maritime authors read from their works.
  • Try your hand at knot tying, net mending and other skills.

Walk in the fisherman's boots for a day. . .

  • See demonstrations by galley cooks, fisherman's wives and local chefs.
  • Observe The Blessing of the Fleet.

The Working Waterfront Festival will present the many popular activities of past years including performances of music, dance and poetry; demonstrations and contests of industry skills; tours of workboats; documentary films and footage at sea; cooking demonstrations; author readings; children's activities; U.S. Coast Guard demos; Tug Boat Muster; whaleboat races, and more!

What people are saying about the Working Waterfront Festival...

Harbor Tours are offered at a discounted rate during the Festival weekend. Food and beverages are available for sale with proceeds benefiting the Working Waterfront Festival.

Working Waterfront Festival