Waterfowl Festival

Easton, Maryland: For the first time in its history, the iconic Waterfowl Festival that draws 15,000+ people to Easton, Maryland each year will not be held this November – at least not in its usual form. Instead, the Festival, along with conservation partner Waterfowl Chesapeake, will devote their energies to developing some new plans for this fall, including virtual programming that brings people together to celebrate the Eastern Shore heritage, culture and bird life. The 50^th Festival will be held in its traditional style in November 2021.  

 “All of us want the Festival to take place as usual,” said Festival Board President, Kevin Greaney, “but uncertainty about the future means we must rethink how we are going to safely host an event, especially one of this size”. He explains, “Our strength is in the relationships we have and the face-to-face experiences we offer for artists, vendors and visitors. All our people – and especially our volunteer leaders and supporters who make Festival possible – need to feel confident and safe. So instead of a big event, we are planning for other programs that can still create connections and celebrate our community.” 

Planning for the town-wide Festival begins annually each February with many commitments already made by June. By this time each year, the fine artists have been selected and the Featured Artist has been announced. The annual featured art piece, whether a painting or sculpture, has been completed and art buyers are beginning to take interest. Most of the three hundred vendors, exhibitors and artists have been invited and have made travel plans and commitments. Until now, the Festival’s forty volunteer Committee Chairs have kept all of these processes moving forward for this year, however, much has also been on hold and still remains to be done due to COVID-19.