Launch – a Maritime Festival is a fun boating fest in Maine, a celebration along the 
Kennebunk River. Its a wave of fun – five days of fishing, a boat parade, lobster bakes, fun runs of pirates and mermaids on the beach, lobster bakes, nautical cocktail crawls, and much more. The nautical theme is the undercurrent to showcasing the Kennebunks’ rich maritime heritage in this lively seaside community. #LaunchFestME – originally launched in 2016.
No Launch is scheduled for 2024… stay tuned for the future of this maritime fest…
Launch is typically mid June …
10 Things WE love about Launch:
1. Launch is local, a multi-town 
festival for locals by locals and visitors alike, stretching from K’Port to Cape Porpoise, Arundel and downtown Kennebunk.
2. Its affordable and inclusive. Launch is family friendly and many of the events are free. Thank you to all the volunteers that make that possible.
3. For a festival less than a decade old, Launch has been a swimming success. The schedule of events 
is full of maritime fun, with historic tours and talks, beach walks, to the River Lights Boat Parade, and the Blessing of the Fleet. You couldn’t possibly #sea it all without getting your Spinnaker in a twist.
4. Whatever floats your boat, Launch has it. Hit Kennebunk Beach for the KBIA Cove Walk
5
. For food, local Kennebunk chefs – both the pros and the-not-so-famous – flaunt their best Maine recipes for lobster at Claws for a Cause on the Green. There’s also a signature nauti drinks at favorite establishments in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, and a Pirate Pub Crawl!
6. History buffs can take in tours galore at Launch from shipwreck tales to walking tours around our time revered streets. Century-old costumed characters revived the days of captains and crew in this vibrant shipbuilding town at White Columns and the Brick Store Museum.
7. The River Lights Parade is a highlight on Saturday night, the Kennebunk River becomes a spectacle after sunset, 7pm, as decorated boats cruised up the river to the cheers of crowds lining the Breakwater, Stripers, Yachtsman, Arundel Wharf, The Boathouse and the Spirit of Massachusetts. The winning boat in Launch’s first year was a 40′ Maine-made Sabre “Independence” appropriately decked in red, white and blue, with Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty aboard. In 2022 the winning boat was “Ding Dong.”
8. Often the parade’s Last Boat, Kylie’s 
Chance, is been filled with families challenged with medical issues – what a treat for them and a gracious gift from the community to be the featured boat of Launch.
9. Finally Sunday’s Blessing of the Fleet is a beautiful ceremony at Cape Porpoise Pier. Here, local fishermen and pleasure yachts alike are blessed for a bountiful and safe boating season.
10. Launch is fun for a “drinking village with a fishing problem.”
Are you on board for Launch ~ a Maritime Festival!? Stay tuned for the possible future return of Launch in 2025…
For seaside lodging during Launch, see our guide to inn and hotels in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. For the best places to eat in the Kennebunks, see our restaurant guide. For boat charters, sailing and whale watching, see our guide to boating on the Kennebunk River.
Photos and Content Copyright KennebunkportMaineLodging.com
