Chestertown Tea Party Festival

Schedule:

noon - 4pm - Chestertown Tea Party Beerfest

Third Annual Beerfest!  Sunday on the waterfront at Wilmer Park.

The Festival commemorates Chestertown’s historical past. When the citizens of Chestertown learned that the British had closed the port of Boston in retaliation for Bostonians dumping tea into the harbor, they issued “The Chestertown Resolves” which stated that it was illegal to import, sell or consume tea. According to local lore, on May 23rd, 1774, the citizens’ of Chestertown gathered at the town center, marched down High Street to the brigantine Geddes, and tossed her cargo of tea into the Chester River.

In addition to witnessing the re-enactment of the “Tea Party” on Saturday, visitors can enjoy more than 100 craft vendors, local food, children’s activities, historical walking tours and a wide array of musical entertainment.

On Sunday, the festivity continues at Wilmer Park beginning at noon, with live music, food trucks, craft vendors,  plenty of fun for families- a Punch & Judy show, instrument making and face painting –  along with live music and great local beers. Don’t miss the infamous raft race at 2:30!

Live Music with the Dan Haas Band

Contemporary pop - a smorgasboard of delectable melodies and expressive vocals served up with plenty of smarts and soul.

Dan learned to play “House of the Rising Son” at age 15 and never looked back. He has performed throughout the Mid Atlantic as a soloist or with his two bands.

His music goal is simple: Have Fun and Spread Joy.

THE RAFT RACE

Starting Gun: 2:30 p.m. Sharp! – Arrive: 1:30 p.m.

Annually, at 2:30 PM on Sunday of Chestertown’s Tea Party Festival, the Raft Race attracts hundreds of spectators to an unusual event- a race of rafts made of non-nautical materials on the Chester River.

Open to the public, this race invites teams of entrants to display feats of engineering and creativity, with rafts ranging from barely-floating to truly incredible. The homemade flotilla makes its way around a short course located just off Chestertown’s Wilmer Park, and spectators can watch the action from the Lelia Lynson Pavilion or the park’s waterfront area.

In this off-beat event, not-so-sleek racing machines compete for different awards acknowledging the buoyancy, construction, beauty, and navigational abilities of the different teams. The coveted Tea Cup, the race’s highest honor, is awarded to the raft with the best synthesis of creativity, engineering, and speed.

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