NEW LONDON, Conn. — Now in its 44th year, the staple event for Southeastern Connecticut is returning for the weekend…Sailfest! The street festival, spanning a quarter of a mile long, is expected to bring 200 vendors, food, rides, music, live entertainment, and fireworks to New London’s waterfront.
“I live in this town, I really want to see this town thrive, this really helps the economy in downtown New London, and that’s why I do it every year,” said Barbara Neff, Executive Director for the Downtown New London Association, which puts the event on each year.
Neff has been running the show for the event for more than two decades. She said each year, the street festival draws in crowds from all over the country.
“We did an economic impact study in 2018, and we found out people come from like 47 different states,” Neff said. “They have family reunions around this event, they have weddings around this event, so they come in for the event.”
On top of the vendors, there will be eight rides from Tufano Amusements, Inc., based in Cheshire, CT for all ages. The festival also features one of the largest fireworks displays in the region. People can also enjoy live concerts at the piers, ranging from country to Latin to more. The Amistad ship will be available for tours at the Custom House Pier.
The event brings a boost for local businesses, Neff said.
“We have restaurants, we have a record shop, we have art studios downtown, we have a couple book stores. So this is really their Christmas in July,” Neff said.
One of those businesses is a brand new one, only a couple of weeks old sitting on Bank Street, called New London Eats.
“We always knew that this was a busy spot,” said Luci Barlow, Co-Owner of New London Eats. “And then, there’s just not this concept on Bank Street.”
The store sells grab-and-go food but offers outside seating as well. Much of the menu is comfort food like different forms of loaded baked potatoes, hot dogs, mac and cheese, salad and more. Barlow said she hoped Sailfest brings in new customers that will return long after this weekend.
“It’ll boost our business a lot, and get the concept out there. We’ve been pushing social media so this is, huge,” Barlow said.
Though the event *is still huge, it is one day shorter than usual.
“Because of police and manning, we decided we would cut it back so it’s not a strain on the city,” Neff said.
The New London Police Department has 65 officers on the force, though the city charter asks for 80. All officers will be working this weekend and with the help of local, state, and federal partners, they will have more than enough staff to handle Sailfest.
“Public safety is our number one priority. And we want people to come down and have a good time, for a fun, safe event,” said Cpt. Matthew Galante with the New London Police Department. “We strongly encourage people that if you see something say something.”
Cpt. Galante said there will be lots of officers in uniform walking around and patrolling the perimeter for the festival.
“Be patient, be kind, and expect delays out after the fireworks,” Cpt. Galante said.
In a message to the community, New London Police Chief Brian Wright encouraged the public to utilize ride-sharing services and carpooling options to limit congestion in downtown New London. Chief Wright also said police will be conducting “light bag screenings at the venue entrances of the City Pier.”
There will be two parking garages open and available near the event, plus street parking and other lots.
The festival has no admission fee, and it starts Saturday morning at 10 a.m., ending Sunday night at 5 p.m.
For a list of prohibited items and activities from Chief Wright, see below:
- No Coolers/large containers
- No Firearms
- No Knives
- No Laser pointers
- No weapons of any kind
- No Mace/pepper spray
- No Fireworks
- No Pets
- No Backpacks/Knapsacks (Pier Venue)
- No bikes/skateboards/”Razor” style boards
- No items were determined to be potential safety hazards.
- No Drones
- State local and federal authorities will be monitoring the airspace and deal with any drones that enter into the controlled airspace. The airspace surrounding the event is located in class D controlled airspace which requires prior approval through the FAA by a drone pilot. The airspace is currently at 0’ flight restriction and there are no approvals granted.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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