Celebrate, Learn, Enjoy!
Hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors celebrate their canal heritage at a variety of canal-related festivals and events each year. Join the fun!
Please note: Event dates in 2020 are highly subject to change due to evolving conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check with event organizers for the most up-to-date information.
2020 Corridor-wide Events:
Featured Community Events
These events will give you reasons to head to the water and to canal communities again and again. In addition to this listing, please visit the NYS Canal Corporation for a complete canal calendar.
A Taste of Kayaking
June 6 >> Lock 32, Pittsford
Whether you’re an avid paddler or family looking to get more active, head to Lock 32 and learn the basics of kayaking and stand up paddle boarding so you can safely enjoy paddling through New York famous Erie canal and lock system.
More > Old Erie Canal Boat Float & Bash
June 15 >> Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum, Chittenango
Join hundreds of paddlers as they celebrate everything the Old Erie Canal has to offer. Track up to 9.5 miles by kayak, canoe, or stand up paddleboard for your Canalway Challenge.
More > Inclusive Kayaking and Cycling Extravaganza!
June 13, July 11 >> Erie Canal Boat Company, Lockport
Enjoy a free two-day paddling and cycling event at the new Erie Canal Boat Company location at Wide Waters Marina in Lockport, NY. Explore and try adaptive and standard equipment options and discover the joy of recreation on the historic Erie Canal!
More > CanalFest at Mabee Farm
July 11 >> Mabee Farm Historic Site, Rotterdam Junction
Enjoy a day of free family fun! The festivities include live music, petting zoo and pony rides, rehabbed wild animals, boat rides, food and craft beer, craft vendors, and activities for all ages!
More > 15 Miles on the Erie Canal
CANCELED >> Montgomery County, multiple locations
Spend your Wednesday evenings this summer kayaking the Mohawk River/Erie Canal and exploring the history, environment, art, recreation, and transportation of the Mohawk Valley. Participate in all five events and rack up 15 miles for the Canalway Challenge.
More > 2nd Annual Pancakes and Paddles - *An official 1st Mile Challenge event*
July 18, 25 >> Phoenix, Oswego
A pancake breakfast from 8-11 am is followed by inclusive kayaking from 10 am until 4 pm for people of all abilities and a range of mobility needs. A variety of adaptive equipment will be available, and guides will ensure a safe paddling experience. $25 covers two breakfasts and a one-hour paddling experience for two. Hosted by Move Along Inc., in partnership with Oswego Expeditions, Phoenix Risin…
More > Rome CanalFest
CANCELED >> Bellamy Harbor Park, Rome
Enjoy three days of exciting activities celebrating the Erie Canal. The event includes vendors, live music, the 'anything but a boat' race, water ski show, fishing contest, and fireworks.
More > Cruise the Canal with Black Girls Do Bike
Saturdays, August 1 - 22 >> Rochester
Explore the Erie Canalway Trail near Rochester at Black Girls Do Bike’s Saturday biking event series. Learn biking basics from REI, then track your Canalway Challenge miles with a leisurely group bike ride on the trail.
More > Canal Fest at Sylvan Beach
August 9 - 11 >> Lakefront Park, Sylvan Beach
Celebrate the Erie Canal on the shores of Oneida Lake at this exciting family-friendly event. The three-day festival includes circus performances, fireworks, a water ski show, and a historical presentation.
More > Towpath Day, The Legacy of the Erie Canal
August 8 >> Camillus Erie Canal Park, Camillus
Celebrate the Erie Canal with a day filled with family-friendly activities, demonstrations, dance, dramatization and great music that represent the 1800s canal era. Sign up for the Mule Skinner 5K Walk/Run Race and earn Canalway Challenge miles.
More > 16th Annual Cardboard Boat Race
August 8 >> Fort Hardy Beach, Schuylerville
Join Hudson Crossing Park for the 16th Annual Cardboard Boat Races! Will your boat have what it takes to stay afloat? Join the fun or just watch from the shore, the Cardboard Boat Races are not to be missed!
More > Doors Open Buffalo 2020
August 8 >> Buffalo
Tour many of Buffalo's most significant historic and architecturally significant buildings during this day of free public access. More than 50 different locations are included.
More > 33rd Annual Little Falls Canal Celebration
August 10 - 16 >> City of Little Falls
This family-friendly festival offers a variety of fun-filled recreational, educational, and creative programs and entertainment. Celebrate our heritage while exploring our City's charm and beauty.
More > Equality Weekend
August 21-23 >> Seneca Falls
Celebrate the 19th Amendment's Centennial in the birthplace of the women's rights movement with the Susan B. Anthony Boat Naming, Corning Museum's all women glass blowing demonstrations, and speeches including Elizabeth Cady Stanton's relative.
More > Ride the Women's Revolution
August 21 - 23 >> Johnstown to Seneca Falls
Join a 3-day fully supported bike ride from Johnstown, NY, where Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born and inspired, to Seneca Falls, where she shared her ideas with the world, via the Erie Canalway Trail, the information highway of Stanton's time.
More > Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon
August 23 >> Riverview Orchards, Rexford
Run two miles, bike 17 miles, then run another two miles through beautiful fall foliage, and conclude with a barbecue dinner. Participate as an individual or team and track your Canalway Challenge miles, or join the cheering section!
More > Tugboat Roundup
September 11 - 13 >> Hurst Harbor Center, Waterford
Enjoy this annual signature celebration of tugboats and New York’s maritime heritage. The three-day festival includes boat rides, tug tours, music, vendors, and fireworks.
More > Old Timers Fair
September 12 >> The Cobblestone National Historic Landmark District, Albion
The Cobblestone Museum will come alive with artisan demonstrations and reenactors recreating life in 19th century Orleans County.
More > Color Wayne- *An official 1st Mile Challenge event*
September 12 >> T. Spencer Knight Park, Newark
Join the fun at this 2-mile colorful run/walk along the Erie Canalway Trail open to people of all abilities. Run or walk through four different color stations along the route and participate in a final color toss.
More > 10th Annual Kayaking 4 Meso
September 12 >> Waterford to Halfmoon
Enjoy a fun 8-mile paddle through the Waterford Flight and into the Champlain Canal. Or join in the festivities at the end point, Halfmoon Lighthouse Park. Proceeds go to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.
More > Montezuma Birding & Boating Event
September 19 - 20 >> Montezuma Audubon, Savannah
Step aboard a cruise through the Montezuma Wetlands Complex and explore the unique habitats while learning about bird migration and the Erie Canal's influence on regional wildlife.
More > Locktoberfest Lockport
September 26 >> Canal Street, Lockport
Join the celebration of summer’s harvest and life on the Erie Canal with lock demonstrations, guided tours, music, food, and entertainment. This event will include the dedication of the newest phase of the Flight of Five Locks.
More > Locktoberfest Phoenix
October 3 >> Phoenix
Celebrate fall at Locktoberfest with 100 craft and unique vendors, complete beer and wine garden with a food court of over 30 food trucks and vendors. Live music, helicopter rides over the lock, children's activities, and fireworks.
More > Locktoberfest Rome
October 3 >> Bellamy Harbor Park, Rome
Enjoy the Erie Canal at Rome’s Bellamy Harbor Park with a youth fishing derby, canoeing, and live landscape paintings. Local vendors offer craft beer and wine, as well as live entertainment and art.
More > Locktoberfest Fort Edward
October 17 >> Fort Edward
A fall harvest festival celebrating Fort Edward and the Champlain Canal, featuring the best of local breweries, music, and artisanal products.
More >