Festival 2001
Whitehaven Maritime Festival 1999
On June 26th and 27th 1999 Whitehaven held its first
maritime festival celebrating the history of this once important port and looking forward
to a future as a marina and tourist location, thanks to a massive investment in the
harbour. The event was a huge success with up to 100,000 people attending over the
weekend. The weather was good except on Saturday night when torrential rain poured down on
a re-enactment of John Paul Jones' raid of 1778. This was followed by a spectacular
firework display that coincided with a display of thunder and lightning, which made it all
the more impressive. On Sunday afternoon a pardon was granted to the US navy in an act of
reconciliation for acts committed so long ago.
A fun fair, music stages, marquees with stalls of local
produce, people in fancy dress, dancing, drama and music performances all contributed to
make the event a great success. All this took place against the historic harbour now in
its first stage of renovation full of vessels old and new. The next festival in two years
time should be even better, as the harbour will have, by then, undergone a complete
transformation, with walls newly paved using decorative stone, removal of the dilapidated
buildings from the quays and exciting new attractions in place.
