The 21st Annual Maritime Fest, which celebrates the history and contributions of Tacoma’s working waterfront, will be held this month at Thea’s Park and Foss Waterway Seaport in downtown Tacoma.

This year’s free festival will offer a variety of activities for the entire family to experience include a boat building contest and race, the Tall Ships cannon battle, and train rides courtesy of Tacoma Rail. There will also be a Kid’s Zone this year, featuring the Big Purple Slide, period games presented by Fort Nisqually, and hands-on activities like knot and bracelet making with the Sea Scouts.

The event will also include a variety of boats that feature the history of Tacoma’s working waterfront, including as many as 17 ships (such as Thea Belle, Lady Washington and its sister boat Hawaiian Chieftain, TWSA Sailboat, and Odyssey) on display to board and explore. The Argosy Cruise Ship will be hosting boat tours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Seminars on a variety of seafaring topics will be presented by renowned speakers and authors at Flagship Maritime Training, located at 821 Dock Street.

Event sponsors include the Port of Tacoma, Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), Vigor Marine ship repair specialists, US Oil, Foss Maritime Company, and Belina Interiors. Community partners include Court + Custom Design House, NW Stage, and Schaeffer Resource Development.

The 21st Annual Maritime Fest will be held on Sat., Aug. 24 and Sun., Aug. 25 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. More information is available online at maritimefest.org.