Festival of the Fish - CANCELLED FOR 2020
Join us in downtown Vermilion for the 54th Annual Festival of the Fish featuring FREE daily entertainment & FREE admission, kid’s games, food and marketplace, Fireworks Friday, June 19th, Parade Sunday June 21st . Lighted boat parade, Sand castle building contest, Crazy Craft Race, Queens’s Pageant, Antique Wooden Boat Parade and Firefighters Water Fights!
Vermilion’s Festival of the Fish is one of the largest festivals in the area. Every year the City of Vermilion celebrates the sea on a grand scale with parades, boat parades, races, pageants, contests, food, entertainment, markets and much much more. This is a “don’t-miss” event of the year each Father’s Day Weekend. On Friday young girls vie for the coveted title of guppy, princess, Little Miss and queen in one of the largest festival pageants in the county. Dozens of animals walk in the annual pet parade. Kids games take place at the gazebo.
Friday kicks off at noon as the Midway opens with lots of delicious foods and spectacular craft vendors. Live entertainment nightly on the Main Stage. The Guppy & Junior Miss Pageant begins at 12:30 pm followed by the Princess Pageant at 2:00 pm and the Queens Pageant begins at 3:00 pm. FIREWORKS at dusk launched off the break wall over beautiful Lake Erie. On Saturday the day kicks off with a 5 K run and 1 – mile walk sponsored by the YMCA and a Sand Castle Contest at Main Street Beach.
The Crazy Craft Races take place at 1 pm on the Vermilion River. The event is open to all, so all you need is some imagination to build whatever kind of vessel inspires you. Take in all the beautiful Antique Wooden Boats in the Antique Wooden Boat Parade. The annual Lighted Boat Parade takes place at dusk on the Vermilion River on Saturday enjoy the wonderful boats as they move from the Port Authority docks to the break wall. The Annual Father’s Day Parade steps off at 12:30 pm on Sunday. Don’t miss the wet and wild Firefighters Water Fight immediately following the parade. Food, entertainment, vendors, games and beverages each day beginning at noon in and around Victory Park.
Festival Hours:
Friday: 12pm-11pm
Saturday: 12pm-11pm
Sunday: 12pm-6pm
Festival of the Fish Highlights
Fireworks
Lighted Boat Parade
Crazy Craft Race Theme
Antique Wooden Boat Parade
Queen’s Pageant
Princess Pageant
Guppy Pageant
Little Miss Pageant
Vermilion YMCA 5K Run
Sand Castle Contest
Vendors, Entertainment, Food
Exchange Park Market Place Crafts and Collectibles
Father’s Day Parade
Firefighters Water Fight
Fireworks River Closure Information
Festival Location
Rt. 60 (Main St.) between Rt. 6 (Liberty Avenue) and Ohio Street, in the center of the historic downtown Vermilion, Ohio.
ATTENTION ALL vendor inquires:
Please email all vendor inquiries to vermilionchamber1@gmail.com. Include pictures of your set-up and a list of items selling and if a food vendor a complete list of menu items and pictures of set-up to be considered by the Festival Committee.
Discover Vermilion, Ohio
If the excitement of the Woollybear Festival isn’t enough then while you’re in Vermilion be sure to stroll around town and visit it’s quaint shops and stores offering everything from home-made chocolates to candles. There’s even an old fashioned soda fountain in downtown Vermilion. Another unique feature of Vermilion is “The Lagoons” a prestigious residential area across the river from downtown. To get a water-level view of the town and the lagoons The Mystic Belle, a tiny stearnwheeler cruise boat, will be operating during the Woollybear Festival taking visitors on rides up and down the Vermilion River.