The H. Lee White Maritime Museum and New York Sea Grant have announced June 6 as the new date for 2026 Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival. Admission is free. The family-friendly event is held from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Oswego’s Historic Maritime District along the 1 West First Street Pier.
Special activities for the 2026 festival will highlight America’s 250th anniversary as a nation with a children’s education activity focused on the National Historic Landmark World War II U.S.S. Large Tugboat LT-5 that participated in the June 6, 1944 D-Day landing of Allied forces at Normandy. The LT-5 is part of the H. Lee White Maritime Museum’s collection of historic vessels.
America’s history of service to the nation by ham radio operators will come alive with Fred Legawiec and other “hams” operating from the museum’s historic Derrick Boat No. 8 along Oswego’s West First Street Pier. They will be talking with operators aboard museum ships worldwide as part of the Museum Ship Weekend Event on Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival activities will also feature maritime history and recreation, the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, environmental protection and research, seafaring song and dance with The Happy Pirates, and local tourism.
New York Sea Grant will have information on safe and environmentally friendly boating practices, emergency distress signals, and how to properly size a life vest for children, adults, and the family dog.
Local recreational boating resources will be represented with pontoon boats from festival co-sponsor Adventure at Burritt’s Marine and Powersports. The Oswego Yacht Club and Fair Haven Kayak will also be on site.
The festival is located alongside the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego’s Historic Maritime District on the West Pier. The museum with several new exhibits for 2026 and its Treasure Chest gift shop will be open. The museum has an extensive collection of artifacts, images, archival records, original artwork, models, and historic vessels, including the National Historic Landmark LT-5, one of the last remaining wartime tugboats of its era.
Watch for more information at www.hlwmm.org as festival organizers add activities and exhibits. The Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival is sponsored in part by Eagle Beverage and Adventure at Burritt’s Marine and Powersports in Oswego.
New York Sea Grant integrates research, education, and extension services focused on coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about New York's Great Lakes and marine resources, www.nyseagrant.org.
The LT-5 tugboat at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego, New York, is one of the last such vessels that participated in the World War II June 6, 1944 D-Day Allied forces landing at Normandy. Children’s activities at the June 6, 2026 Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival will honor the LT-5’s place in history.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
H. Lee White Maritime Museum Exec. Director Mercedes Niess, 315-342-480 Mercedes@hlwmm.org
New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Outreach Coordinator Megan Kocher, 716-270-2490 mk2236@cornell.edu
Publicist Kara Lynn Dunn, 315-465-7578, karalynn@gisco.net