For three days every November, between 18,000 and 20,000 visitors discover the best of local wildlife, nature, art, heritage, food, and fun at the annual Waterfowl Festival. This year’s Festival will be held November 11-13, and tickets for three days are only $15 each (Ticket prices will increase to $20 on November 1st).
While it focuses on art, sportsmanship, and conservation, the festival is fully integrated into Easton. The streets in downtown become a vast pedestrian mall, allowing you to stroll from event venues to locally owned boutiques, art exhibits, and top-notch restaurants with ease. There’s a lively vibe as families, couples, friends, and even dogs — lots of dogs — soak in the best of the season.
Wild About Art
Excellent wildlife art defines the Waterfowl Festival. Painters, sculptors, carvers, and photographers from all over North America exhibit at five different venues, offering a chance to engage with the artists directly. Hundreds of pieces of artwork will be on sale, making this event a major attraction for art collectors, whether you’re looking for investment pieces or unique holiday gifts for friends and family.
This year’s featured artist is Richard Clifton, a world-renowned wildlife artist and winner of the 2007 and 2020 Federal Duck Stamp contests.
When he began planning the featured piece of art for Waterfowl Festival 2022, he wanted to capture not only the beauty of waterfowl, but wanted his creation to appeal to art collectors, waterfowl enthusiasts, hunters, and conservationists alike. He settled on Pintails as his subject and created “November Morning-Pintails.”
Easton is a well-regarded arts hub, anchored by one of the East Coast’s finest small art museums, the Academy Art Museum, which this year will be exhibiting art produced by wildlife artists, along with its own extraordinary collection. You can interact with artists and watch them work at galleries throughout downtown.
For the Sportsman
Extensive festival programming means there’s always something fun and engaging to do at the Waterfowl Festival. Retriever Demonstrations are among the most popular events of the weekend, where hunting dogs respond to their handlers’ commands as they dive into a local pond, locate objects, and bring them back to shore, always to a cheering crowd.
Animal lovers will also want to check out the Dock Dogs competition, a national competition where pooches put their paws to the test in a long jump from dock to water to see which dog can leap the furthest. And the highest stake event of the entire festival weekend is the World Championship Duck and Goose Calling Contests, where winners can net a prize purses of $5,000-$12,000.
Crab, Oysters, and More
No visit to the Eastern Shore is complete without sampling the best of what the Chesapeake Bay offers. Food vendors will be serving crabs and oysters, served in every imaginable way. Try local favorites include Shoreboys’ award-winning cream of crab soup, which you’ll find in front of Easton Antiques on Harrison Street, and the freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, sold on Washington Street near the courthouse.
At the festival’s tasting pavilion, $10 earns you unlimited small pours, along with substantial tastings from local artisanal purveyors. And nearby, a beer “wetland” and garden serves up regional craft brews and games, including the ever-popular cornhole.
This year’s new venue, at the VFW on Washington Street, will feature craft beers, archery and raptor demonstrations, and food.
People watching is a must during the festival weekend. Discover a perfect perch at one of Easton’s acclaimed restaurants, many of which offer outdoor dining on their patios, porches and sidewalks.
Along Harrison Street, try the garden courtyard at Legal Assets for shareable bites, many with Asian flair, or the wide patio at Hunter’s Tavern, where they’ve been serving local specialties since 1949. On Washington Street, take a table on the slate patio at Scossa, renowned for Northern Italian fare, or a window seat at The Wardroom, coveted for cheese plates and an international wine selection.
Cap off your weekend visit with a sweet treat at one of downtown Easton’s two locally owned ice cream parlors. Storm & Daughters is ideal for kid favorites, serving rainbow sherbet and towering waffle sundaes, while Bonheur appeals to a sophisticated palate with grownup egg-custard-based frozen treats, including maple walnut and apple pie spiked with bourbon.
Festival Facts
A three-day pass costs $15 ($20 after November 1st) and gains entry to all the venues, including bus transportation to and from satellite sites outside downtown. Scope out the event sites on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning and then return to your favorites throughout the weekend.
Elevate your experience with a VIP package that includes admission to the Festival’s daytime activities, an invitation to the Festival’s Premiere Night, access to the VIP Hospitality Suite at the Bullitt House where you can relax with refreshments in between exhibits, and exclusive discounts.
Better yet, become a Corporate Sponsor! No matter the size of your business or organization– there are many ways that you can support the Waterfowl Festival.
Insider’s Tip: While paper maps are available, you can also access the Waterfowl Festival app at GooglePlay and the iTunes Store.
For the Kids
Kids under 10 can attend the festival for free. There are plenty of family-friendly activities that will keep the little ones entertained and well fed!
+ Paint Your Own Decoy: Throughout the weekend kids can decorate miniature carved decoys under the guidance of artisans.
+ Children’s Fishing Derby: Budding anglers can show off their skills. (Same day registration means visiting kids can take part, if they get inspired to cast a line.)
+ Raptor Demos: Birds of Prey alight for “ahhh-worthy” moments at the hands of an experienced falconer on all three days of the festival.
Pro Tip: Beeline to Christ Church at the intersection of South Street and South Harrison Street for fried candy bars. Kids—and kids at heart—will not be disappointed!
Breakout: Stay A While
Immerse yourself in the heart of downtown Easton by staying at an intimate bed and breakfast like Hummingbird Inn, a Queen Anne mansion with dog-sitting services, and the Bishop’s House, a romantic Victorian with cozy fireplaces in some guestrooms. Or base yourself at the town epicenter at the Tidewater Inn, a handsome brick hotel with a spa and restaurant. There are also myriad short-term rentals, from historic cottages to sprawling waterfront estates. Pro Tip: Book early because Waterfowl Festival weekend is one of the busiest times of the year.
Going to the Dogs
Bring your four-legged buddies. They can attend dog-centric events, like retriever demos and diving dock competitions. Plus your dogs will be treated like VIPs in downtown Easton, where they can promenade along the main routes of the festival and fetch water and treats from local shops and restaurants. Pro Tip: Pooches with competitive streaks can sign up day-of for the diving dog competition.
Insider Shopping Tip for Waterfowl Fans
Stop at the Festival Shoppe for exclusive logo gear and accessories, and a copy of the featured painting by Richard Clifton. Then visit the many shops Easton offers.
Albright’s Gun Shop, nestled next to the Avalon Theatre, is a mecca for serious gun enthusiasts and collectors. Two excellent bookstores — Flying Cloud, which stocks new editions, and Vintage Books, which specializes in antique volumes — offer a large selection of books about the beautiful Chesapeake Bay region.
