Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days 2026

Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days 2026 will take place August 14–16 in Alexandria Bay, New York, bringing a full weekend of pirate-themed entertainment to the Thousand Islands region. The main highlights include the Pirate Invasion at Scenic View Park Pavilion Wharf, a downtown parade, family activities, vendors, block party entertainment, and live music across local establishments.

Set beside the St. Lawrence River, this long-running summer event turns the village into a pirate gathering with costumed crews, waterfront activity, street entertainment, food, shopping, and family-friendly fun. It is one of the most recognizable themed celebrations in northern New York and a key event in the summer calendar of the Thousand Islands.

Visitors planning similar events in the state can also explore Renaissance and Medieval Festivals in New York for more historical, fantasy, and themed festivals.

📍 Location

Alexandria Bay, New York 13607
Thousand Islands region, Jefferson County, United States

Main activities are centered around downtown Alexandria Bay, James Street, Scenic View Park Pavilion Wharf, and local establishments throughout the village.

🏴‍☠️ What to Expect

Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days celebrates the legend of the “Pirate of the Thousand Islands” with a weekend of outdoor entertainment, costumes, music, vendors, and community events along the waterfront.

The festival atmosphere is casual, lively, and family-oriented. Visitors are encouraged to join the theme with pirate attire, creating a town-wide setting filled with buccaneers, sea captains, rogues, and riverfront spectators. The event combines local tradition with summer tourism, making it especially attractive for families, costumed visitors, boaters, and travelers exploring the Thousand Islands.

Main attractions include:

• Pirate-themed family activities
• Vendors and street entertainment
• Friday evening block party
• Saturday Pirate Invasion at Scenic View Park Pavilion Wharf
• Live entertainment in local venues
• Sunday Grand Parade through downtown
• Waterfront views of the St. Lawrence River
• Dining, shopping, boat tours, and nearby castle excursions

For readers looking for more events with sea-raider themes, Pirate Festivals includes additional celebrations inspired by pirates, ships, coastal legends, and nautical fantasy.

⚔️ Program

The full weekend schedule is listed as preliminary, with complete details expected closer to the event. Current published highlights include:

Friday, August 14

• 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM — Family Fun Activities and Vendors
• Evening — Block Party / Block Dance on James Street

Saturday, August 15

• 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM — Family Fun Activities and Vendors
• 1:00 PM — Pirate Invasion at Scenic View Park Pavilion Wharf
• Evening — Live Entertainment at Various Establishments
• Evening — Block Dance on James Street

Sunday, August 16

• 12:00 PM — Grand Parade through downtown Alexandria Bay

🏝️ About the Festival

Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days is named after Bill Johnston, a figure associated with the Thousand Islands’ river history and pirate folklore. The festival builds on that identity with theatrical “invasion” elements, costumed participation, and a downtown celebration that reflects the area’s connection to the St. Lawrence River.

Rather than being limited to one enclosed venue, the event spreads through the village, allowing visitors to enjoy shops, restaurants, waterfront parks, local nightlife, and river activities throughout the weekend. This makes it both a themed festival and a wider Alexandria Bay summer experience.

The timing also places the celebration among the peak-season events listed in Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals in August 2026, when many outdoor historical, fantasy, and costume festivals take place across North America.

🏙️ Alexandria Bay, New York

Alexandria Bay is a village in Jefferson County, located on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands region. The village had a population of 924 in the 2020 census, although the number of visitors rises significantly during the warmer months thanks to boating, fishing, castle tours, waterfront dining, and summer events.

The area’s history reaches back to Indigenous presence in the Thousand Islands and later European settlement. In the early 19th century, James LeRay acquired large parts of what is now Jefferson County, and the region gradually developed through river trade, island ownership, tourism, and transportation. After the Civil War, improved access helped turn Alexandria Bay and the Thousand Islands into a summer resort destination for wealthy families, hotel owners, industrialists, and travelers.

Today, Alexandria Bay is known as the “Heart of the Thousand Islands.” Its identity is closely tied to river tourism, scenic cruises, Boldt Castle, Singer Castle excursions, fishing, boating, and seasonal festivals.

🏰 Nearby Landmarks

Although Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days is not held inside a castle, Alexandria Bay is strongly associated with the castle and river-tour heritage of the Thousand Islands.

Boldt Castle, located on Heart Island near Alexandria Bay, is one of the area’s best-known landmarks. Built at the turn of the 20th century by hotel magnate George C. Boldt, the castle was conceived as a grand residence and later restored as a major visitor attraction. Scenic boat tours from the village also connect travelers with the wider Thousand Islands landscape and nearby historic sites.

🚗 How to Get There

By car: Alexandria Bay is reached via Interstate 81 and New York State Route 12, making it accessible from Watertown, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, and the Canadian border area. Driving is the most practical option for festival visitors.

By train: The nearest larger rail connections are in cities such as Syracuse and Watertown-area transport hubs, followed by a road transfer to Alexandria Bay.

By bus: Regional bus options are generally routed through larger northern New York cities. Visitors should plan the final connection by car, taxi, or rideshare.

By air: Nearby airports include Watertown International Airport, about a 40-minute drive; Ogdensburg International Airport, about 50 minutes; and Syracuse Hancock International Airport, about 90 minutes. Canadian options include Ottawa International Airport and Montreal International Airport, both within a few hours by road.

📏 Approximate Distances from Alexandria Bay

Main cities in New York State

Major cities in the United States