May 21st and 22nd 2022

The Waterford Canal Festival is an annual event that kicks off the start of the Canal Season in New York State. The Canal Festival is  presented by the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Waterford.

During the festival the Waterford Harbor comes alive with vendors, music, dancing and more. The liveliness of the waterfront is reminiscent of the heyday of canal system as the vein of New York's economy.

The New York State Canal System is a 525-mile system is composed of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, and the Champlain Canal. Waterford sits start of both the Erie and Champlain Canals. New York's waterways are still used for commerce and are being increasingly recognized as an environmentally and economically friendly alternative to shipping by rail or road. Boaters from around the world travel New York's waterways for leisure either on local trips or as part of the Great Loop, a continuous waterway that encompasses the eastern portion of North America including the Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, the Canadian Heritage Canals, and the inland rivers of America's heartland.

The Waterford Canal Festival includes all day live music, craft and food vendors, kids activities, dance performances and more.

Join us as we celebrate one of New York's greatest treasures!