Global Events
While acting local is usually best, there are some upcoming wooden boat festivals from around the world that you shouldn’t miss if you happen to be in the neighbourhood. Here’s one from every continent beyond our home shores.
Africa- The Lamu Dhow Race
While not strictly a boat festival its certainly a celebration of all the values that most festivals espouse! Getting to Lamu involves a one hour flight from Wilson Airport Nairobi. Despite DFAT warnings (Reconsider your need to travel Lamu County due to the high risk of terrorist attack and kidnapping) it’s really quite safe. The event takes place at Shela Beach, on 1st January 2026. It’s the highlight of New Year celebrations and the most prestigious dhow race of the year. Spectating is breathtaking, but with a little persistence and the right greased palms, a ride with a competitor is not out of the question! Stay for a few extra days. It’s special!
North America - The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival
This year will the 48th edition of the event that makes up the global triangle of significant festivals, the others being Hobart and Douarnenez. It will be held from 5th-7th September 2025
What started as a wild idea—a vision of community and a lifestyle of “salt water hippies” centered on boats and the sea—sparked a national conversation among those involved in the then nascent wooden boat revival. In 1978, more than 2,000 people from all corners of the US and several Canadian provinces traveled, some with their boats and tools, to the first nationally recognized Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend.
Today, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival features hundreds of wooden vessels, dozens of indoor and outdoor presentations and demonstrations, a who’s who of wooden boat experts, and thousands of wooden boat enthusiasts—there’s something to do, someone to meet, or a boat to board at every turn. Expanded a little each year, the Festival honors its traditions while inviting energetic debate and demonstration about the latest innovations in boatbuilding, equipment, skills, and adventure.
Watch the short video wrap of the 2024 event below
EUROPE - The Douarnenez Wooden Boat Festival
Also known as Temps Fête, is a the mother of all maritime festivals held biennially in Douarnenez, Brittany, France. The next edition is scheduled for July 2025, although I’m having trouble finding specific dates!
The festival is a vibrant tribute to traditional maritime culture, showcasing hundreds of classic wooden boats from all over the world. These vessels are not just on display; they actively sail in parades and regattas, giving a living history experience. Along side Hobart It's one of the few places where maritime traditions around the world come together. And as with Hobart, the town itself, with its strong fishing heritage and lively port, provides an authentic backdrop to the festivities.
ASIA - Iloilo Paraw Regatta Festival
The annual loilo Paraw Regatta is a festival held on the third weekend of February (next year 14th &15th Feb) in Villa de Arevalo district of Ioilo City in the Phillipines. The main event is a race for the Paraw along Iloilo Strait. It’s claimed to be the oldest and traditional craft event not just in the country but in whole of Asia. It started as half-day sailboat race event but through the years, it gave birth to other side events and the celebration is expanded to spread over a week.
The word “paraw” or “parao” describes a type of outrigger boat propelled by sails (layag).
The first-ever race was in 1973with the aim of preserving the historical value of paraws and the skills of the paraw sailors.
The Paraw racecourse is 36.5 kilometers long, running up the coast of Panay and then down the coast of Guimaras, before returning to the finish at Villa Beach. Thanks to the geophysical shape of the Iloilo Strait, the breezes are all year-round. There are two classes. Those of 16ft and below of strictly traditional construction and those 16ft 1in through to 22ft with a wider range of materials allowed.
Participating paraws are categorised based on the waterline length of the boat and further classified according to their sails as “unpainted” or “painted”.
There’s some crazy footage from this years event below
SOUTH AMERICA-The Semana de Clásicos de Punta del Este
Translated as “The Classic Week of Punta del Este” this is the a premier South American sailing event that is specifically for classic yachts. Held annually in January, it’s co-organized by the Yacht Club Argentino, Yacht Club Punta del Este, and the Asociación Argentina de Veleros Clásicos. This year’s event featured 28 classic yachts from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, with over 200 crew members participating. the 2026 event is scheduled for 18th, 19th 21st and 22nd January
Last years winners included two stunning and locally designed Germán Frers designs.
