Juneau Maritime Festival

Juneau’s rich Maritime culture, heritage and commerce is celebrated through numerous fun and unique experiences that brings together friends, families and nationals from all over the world. Usually this annual Juneau maritime festival is held first week of May to mark the beginning of summer.

Who is it for?

If you are a seafood lover then look no further. During this festival, there is numerous sea food stalls serving the most tantalizing and freshly prepared meals from local restaurants. This festival opens up your mind to the importance of clean water and how wild seafood plays a vital role in the every life of the south-easterners. The 2019 festival is the 10th annual festival of this kind, usually organizes my Juneau Economic Development Council, JEDC.

Program Schedule

The program usually opens with the blessing of the fleet at 10am with the festival itself going on from 11am – 5pm. It is free to get admitted into the festival but voluntary donations are solicited. One people’s canoe opened the ceremony followed by Yees Ko Oo dancers. From 11am – noon, a wide range of fun and exciting activities are carried out. Also tours, music and contests are included to engage visitors and get their adrenaline going.

At noon, the US coast guard performs a search and rescue procedure, this demonstration is carried out using MH-65D Dolphin helicopter or MH-60 Jayhawks and qualified aircrew. This flight comprises of two pilots, one flight engineer and one trained rescue swimmer. The hoist will be dropped down and the trained rescue swimmer will drop to demonstrate to the coast guard provides assistance to a crowd of onlookers.

Festival Activities

This is followed by commercial fishing competition, boat rides, display by seafood vendors, tug o war, beer garden, kid activities and so many other fun events. The annual fish filleting competition is one of the most attractive and sought-after event by locals and tourists.

Activities: * Harbor Cruises during the festival * Live music * Southeast Alaska Sailing regatta* Delicious seafood* Plenty of children activities* Contests like Fillet contest, Tug O’ War , tote race, regatta and Survival Suits * U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter fly-by and search and rescue demonstration. * And more!

Displays Unique ways

It displays the unique way of life of the Juneau people. This festival carried out at the waterfront encourages Juneau’s population to learn about boating, fishing and doing so while ensuring clean waters and protecting the environment.

Support from Juneau Whale Watch

With support from Juneau whale watch, The Juneau Economic Development Council in collaboration with local businesses, organizations and individuals such as Alaska Airlines, Alaska Marine Lines, Alaskan Brewing co, Juneau Radio Centre, United Fishermen of Alaska, First National Bank of Alaska, LifeMed Alaska, Holland American Line and so on. Free day of events centered around boats, maritime history and industry. This festival gets the town buzzing with tourists and visitors. Although the locals are based there, they live different lives. This maritime festival is an avenue to find and appreciate their commonality. The Marine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK) is a nonprofit organization established in the year 2000 with the aim of providing information, communication and services that promote safer, more efficient bd environmentally conscious maritime operations in according to local, state and federal maritime laws.

Technologies and components used in protecting lives and the environment: * Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel tracking – 130+ terrestrial sites and satellite – viewable via PACTRACS.* 40+, strategically placed, Realtime weather sensors. * A 24×7 Operations Center, which uses the above sensors, to manage 1.5+ million square miles! When you are involved in an incident such as personal injury, violation of Jones act which protects people who work onboard ships or death of someone then you require the services of a skilled maritime lawyer. In the summer, the humpback whales travel to the Alaskan waters in concentrated numbers.

You may observe them in Juneau even without planning for a whale watching trip. The vessels have 360 degrees viewing area to enable you get the most out of the waffle watching experience. Imagine yourself immersed in beautiful scenery and absorbing the action of whale watching feeding techniques such as bubble net feeding. These are experiences that remain memorable throughout your life because they are unique, distinct and surreal. Several tour companies run different whale watching tours to suit your comfort and preference. If you prefer private whale watching trips or intend to go as a group, your demands will be met in order to give you a spectacular experience.

© 2019 Juneaumaritimefestival.org