The Long Island Maritime Museum in West Sayville will host its 32nd annual Seafood Festival on Saturday, Aug. 23, and Sunday, Aug. 24.
The event, which has drawn up to 15,000 people in past years, will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the museum grounds at 88 West Ave., overlooking Great South Bay.
The festival will feature a variety of seafood options, including lobster rolls and fried fish, along with non-seafood items such as gyros and empanadas.
“We want as many people as possible to come out and have fun, and the more people that do, the more we can put back into the museum,” said Justin Walsh, volunteer and visitor services coordinator.
General admission is $10 per person, with free entry for children under 12. Tickets are available on Facebook or can be purchased with cash at the festival.
Walsh said the festival has grown significantly since it began in the 1990s, once attracting as many as 15,000 attendees over a weekend. Although attendance declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, “we have seen those numbers tick back up growing closer to where it was before,” he said.
In addition to food vendors and children’s activities, the event will feature dozens of artisans selling crocheted items, woodcarvings and other handmade crafts.
“We try to bring in as many local artisans as possible,” Walsh said. “Typically, it’s people from all over the island, including locals, but we had some vendors who come from Queens or Brooklyn and some from the East.”
Live music will begin around midday. Last year, four bands performed each day of the festival.
“I’m a fan of the music,” Walsh said. “I found a band I’m a fan of last year. It was nice seeing everyone hanging out enjoying the music.” This year’s lineup is expected to include rock, country, blues and tribute bands from across Long Island.
During the festival, the Long Island Maritime Museum will be open in a limited capacity. Buildings available for visitors include the main gallery, which focuses on the U.S. Life-Saving Service — the predecessor to the U.S. Coast Guard — and the small craft building, which houses more than 30 historic wooden vessels.
The museum is typically open seven days a week and includes four exhibit spaces dedicated to Long Island’s maritime history. Highlights include a 1908 oyster house and “our famous cottage built in 1890 that’s sort of a slice of life for that time period, showing how a seaman and his family would be living on the South Shore,” according to Walsh.
Volunteers support the museum year-round, working in the boat shops to restore historic vessels or construct new ones based on traditional plans. The museum also offers a winter lecture series and story time programs for children.
For more information, visit https://www.limaritime.org.