Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore’s Healthy Harbor Initiative invites paddlers from across the region to show their support for a clean, accessible and recreational Baltimore Harbor at the 6th annual Baltimore Floatilla on Saturday, June 10, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This year participants will “rock their boats” as Baltimore-based rock band, ThrillKiller, performs live from a floating stage aboard Mr. Trash Wheel. The band will lead participating paddlers in the world’s first kayak-based performance of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”.
“We are keeping the harbor Queen,” joked Adam Lindquist, vice president of the Healthy Harbor Initiative. “The Floatilla is an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made in restoring the Harbor and promote it as a recreational resource for the region,” he added.
As Waterfront Partnership moves forward with planning for the Baltimore Blueway, a network of water trails connecting points in the Inner Harbor and Middle Branch for all paddle sport enthusiasts, the Baltimore Floatilla continues to bring awareness to recreation and paddling in the Inner Harbor.
“As we saw in our 2022 Harbor Heartbeat report, long-term bacteria trends are continuing to improve throughout the waterfront,” said Lindquist. “And, thanks to Mr. Trash Wheel and recent litter legislation, there’s a lot less trash in the water too,” he continued.
Registration for the Baltimore Floatilla includes a safe, fun and supervised paddle managed by Ultimate Watersports, an event t-shirt, and a boxed lunch picnic at Canton Waterfront Park. Participants can bring their own boats or reserve on-site kayaks and standup paddleboards with Ultimate Watersports for an additional fee. The public can register online at baltimorefloatilla.com until June 2.
· Early bird: $35 (ends May 4)
· Regular: $40 (May 4 – June 2)
The Baltimore Floatilla is a fundraiser for Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative, which works to restore and protect Baltimore’s Inner Harbor through the Trash Wheel Family, oyster plantings, environmental education, habitat enhancement projects and more. Since 2016, the event has brought out hundreds of paddlers and raised thousands of dollars each year through sponsorships, registration and peer-to-peer fundraising.
For frequently asked questions about the event and to register, visit baltimorefloatilla.com.
Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative works to restore and protect Baltimore City’s most valuable asset, the harbor. Through its growing list of projects, programs, and partnerships, the Healthy Harbor Initiative is educating the public about what lives beneath the surface and how we can all fight for the urban ecosystem through actions we take. For more information, visit healthyharbor.org.
Waterfront Partnership, in collaboration with our government, business, and community partners, creates a clean, green, safe, sustainable and thriving urban waterfront for all to enjoy. We’re lean, nimble and effective; the only organization that wakes up every day, rolls its sleeves up and gets to work on new ways we can make Baltimore’s Waterfront even more active, attractive and appealing. We’re the hosts who greet visitors, the creators of programs and promotions and managers of our beautiful parks. We encourage investment in Baltimore’s most celebrated asset so it can continue to grow, to serve as a place of pride and the place where Baltimoreans come together to recreate and to celebrate. For more information, visit waterfrontpartnership.org.
