Manitowoc, Wisconsin
February 14, 2026
For Immediate Release: Come to Manitowoc for Wisconsin’s 2026 Ghost Ships Festival
The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association is proud to announce the 2026 Ghost Ships Festival on Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th in Manitowoc, Wisconsin at the Inn on Maritime Bay.
The event, originally held in Milwaukee from 2000 to 2017, is a community gathering for those interested in the thousands of historic lost ships that lie on the bottom of the Great Lakes. This year's Ghost Ships Festival will feature 3D tours of newly discovered Great Lakes shipwrecks using the latest virtual reality headset technology as well as an opportunity to Pilot ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicles) over a “shipwreck” in the event center’s pool.
This year’s festival will also highlight the discovery of the lost steamer Lac La Belle, which had been missing for 150 years and was recently discovered in the depths off Racine, Wisconsin. This discovery was just announced yesterday and it will be presented at the Ghost Ships Festival by Paul Ehorn, the wreck hunter who located the wreck. The Festival will also feature live music, presentations by underwater archaeologists, shipwreck hunters, documentary producers.
The festival will also feature merchandise booths and exhibits from regional artists, musicians, authors, historians, underwater archaeology programs, dive shops, dive charters and dive clubs.
Admission to the Friday night programs will be free to the public courtesy of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, but registration is required for the main show on Saturday.
The public is encouraged to attend and pre-registration for the full event can be made online at ghostshipsfestival.com. Pre-registration tickets are $25 each for the full two-day event, or $30 at the door. Youth under 18 will be admitted for free!
Vendor booths and sponsor opportunities are still available as well and can be purchased at ghostshipsfestival.com. If you’re coming from out of town, don’t wait to make your hotel reservations at the Inn on Maritime Bay, as we project that it will fill. The discounted event rate rooms can be booked at: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/QT85M2
The Ghost Ships Festival is hosted by the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that provides opportunities for the public to assist professional archaeologists in underwater fieldwork and surveys. The Festival is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation Program, and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
Media inquiries may be directed to:
Brendon Baillod, WUAA President – baillod@gmail.com – cellphone (608) 438-7246
Kevin Cullen, Executive Director, Wisconsin Maritime Museum - kcullen@wisconsinmaritime.org - cellphone (608) 469-4898
See the document below for the full program schedule or visit www.ghostshipsfestival.com. |
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