The H. Lee White Maritime Museum presents Oswego Paddlefest, Saturday, July 13, 2024. The event is in its 10th year and encourages kayakers and canoeists to enjoy and appreciate the unique beauty of the historic Oswego Canal/River. Paddlers will experience locking through 4 actual canal locks.
Registration opens May 18, 2024 for $35.00 per ticket. Registration is available here.
CHILDREN- Registration is required for children ages 4-11 at $10 each. Children must be a passenger of an adult who is 18 years of age and older.
T-SHIRT ORDERS- THIS YEAR we are adding presale orders of Oswego Paddlefest t-shirts. Be sure to add your T-Shirt order to your ticket purchase to guarantee your size will be available. There will be a limited number of T-Shirts available at event on a first-come, first-serve basis. $22 each/any size. Pre-Sale orders availability will close after June 23, 2023.
MINETTO LAUNCH- from 8 am- 10:00 am (SC-Short course approx. 5.5 mi.) Both trips will end at Wrights Landing in Oswego, just west of the Coast Guard Station.
FULTON LAUNCH- geared for experienced paddlers launching from 8:30 am to 10:00 am at Indian Point (LC-Long course Advanced apprx.13 miles). Both trips will end at Wrights Landing in Oswego, just west of the Coast Guard Station.
NEW SHORT LEG - Fulton to Minetto, 6 miles and 2 hours along the beautiful Oswego River and Canal.
Please arrive at the launch site approximately 30 minutes ahead of your launch time window for either site.
KAYAK RENTALS: Don't have a kayak, and looking to rent one for Paddlefest? Contact Ron Alexander of Fair Haven Kayak at 315-466-6649, or ronaldalexander@oswego.edu. Ron will deliver the kayak to the launch site, and retrieve them from the Wrights Landing when done.
SHUTTLE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE: A separate pre-registration is required for the service. Sign up as an “add-on” to your Paddlefest 2024 ticket. Shuttle cost is just $10 per person this year thanks to a grant from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the NYS Canal Corporation. Do you need help getting from the parking lot at the end of the course to the launch location? We have a shuttle service just for you.
Participants using the shuttle service will first drop their kayaks or canoes at their launch location. Kayaks and Canoes are tagged with a numbered band, you will have a correspondingly numbered wrist band. Participants will then drive their vehicles to Wright's Landing in Oswego where they will park. The shuttle service will then bring them back to the launch location.
(If using shuttle service please plan on arriving at least 1.5 hours early. This will allow time to drop off equipment at launch sites then drive to the parking lot location. Shuttles leave on the hour prior to each launch time slot.)
ADVANCE CHECK-IN EVENT- Friday, July 12 from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM at the Maritime Museum in Oswego. Goody bags for the first 100 advance check-in participants.
ON-SITE REGISTRATION- While paddlers may register on-site the morning of the event, there is an overall limit of 450 participants.
PADDLE-BOARDERS: Due to new NYS Canal safety regulations paddleboards are prohibited from this event.
Donations in support of this event are appreciated. We have a donation add-on online, or donations in person. Thank you for your support and participation!
SUPPORTING AGENCIES to DATE: Oswego County, Cities of Fulton and Oswego, Town of Minetto, NYS Canal Corporation, Erie Canalway, USCG.
For everyone's safety this event is recommended for ages 12 and older. Life jackets and whistles are required. The total paddle trip may be 6 hours or more. Sorry, no pets. Waivers will be required for every person attending.
RAIN OR SHINE THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE. NO REFUNDS.