Wooden boat traditions

The 2027 Australian Wooden Boat Festival will bring hundreds of historic and traditional vessels to Hobart's waterfront from 5 to 8 February, celebrating the maritime heritage of working boats.

Photography by AWBF

05 November 2026

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival (AWBF) has unveiled its 2027 program, with hundreds of wooden vessels expected to gather in Hobart for four days of maritime heritage, craftsmanship and entertainment.

Running from 5 to 8 February 2027, the Australian Wooden Boat Festival will celebrate the theme Working Boats, highlighting the vessels that have transported people and cargo, supported livelihoods and connected coastal communities for generations.

The biennial event, recognised as the largest celebration of wooden boats and maritime culture in the Southern Hemisphere, will feature historic fishing boats, trading vessels, classic yachts, tall ships and traditional sailing craft.

The 2027 Australian Wooden Boat Festival program showcases four days of maritime heritage, traditional vessels and waterfront activities in Hobart.

Historic trading vessel May Queen, a centrepiece of the 2027 festival's Working Boats theme, moored at Hobart's waterfront.

Festival supporters, volunteers and maritime enthusiasts gather for the official launch of the 2027 Australian Wooden Boat Festival program in Hobart.

Australian Wooden Boat Festival General Manager and Festival Director Paul Stephanus presents the 2027 festival program.

Festival Director Paul Stephanus, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and TasPorts representative Peter Manthorpe at the 2027 Australian Wooden Boat Festival program launch.

International participation will include vessels from Bali, Sulawesi, Taiwan, Japan and New Zealand, showcasing wooden boatbuilding traditions from across the Asia-Pacific region.

AWBF General Manager and Festival Director Paul Stephanus says the theme provides an opportunity to recognise the vessels and people who have shaped maritime communities.

Our Working Boats theme celebrates the wooden boats that earn their keep, carry people and cargo, and connect communities. Every vessel has a story, and we’re looking forward to bringing those stories together on Hobart’s waterfront, whether they’ve sailed across oceans or just around the corner.”

The four-day festival will bring together boat owners, shipwrights, craftspeople, maritime historians, sailors and enthusiasts from Australia and overseas.

Popular attractions returning in 2027 include the Shipwrights Village, Noisy Boatyard, Wooden Boat Symposium, Little Sailors Village and Maritime Marketplace.

Visitors can also explore traditional boatbuilding demonstrations, maritime exhibitions, workshops, talks and performances, alongside live entertainment, film and theatre.

Historic vessel celebrated

One of Australia’s most significant surviving working vessels, May Queen, features on the official 2027 festival poster in an original painting by New Zealand marine artist A.D. Blake.

Recognised as Australia’s oldest trading vessel still afloat, May Queen spent more than a century transporting timber, apples and quarried stone along Tasmania’s rivers and coastline.

Today, the historic vessel is maintained by volunteers and is a familiar sight at Hobart’s Constitution Dock.

The painting, gifted to the festival by the artist, depicts May Queen passing Tasman Island under sail, heavily laden and bound for Hobart.

The artwork reflects the festival’s focus on the practical role wooden vessels have played in Australia’s maritime history.

Young maritime enthusiasts aboard a traditional wooden vessel during the Australian Wooden Boat Festival program launch in Hobart.

May Queen volunteers and a festival supporter aboard the historic wooden trading vessel at Hobart's waterfront.

May Queen volunteers celebrate the launch of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2027 program.

Festival program launched

The official program was unveiled on 29 October at Hobart’s Waterside Pavilion, attended by festival supporters, sponsors, maritime industry representatives and community members.

Speakers included City of Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, TasPorts Towage Tug Master Peter Manthorpe and Festival Director Paul Stephanus.

The launch also marked an expanded partnership between the City of Hobart and AWBF, with a new six-year agreement securing support for the 2027, 2029 and 2031 festivals.

The festival has continued to grow since its establishment in 1994, with the 2025 event recording more than 56,000 visits over four days.

The 2025 festival also received two Gold awards at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards and Bronze at the Australian Tourism Awards.

Plan your visit

The 2027 festival program is now available online, allowing visitors to explore exhibitions, demonstrations and activities through searchable listings organised by date, time and interest.

Further announcements are expected ahead of the event, with the complete activity schedule and Festival Boat Directory scheduled for release in late January 2027.

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival runs from 5 to 8 February 2027 along Hobart’s waterfront, with free admission.

awbf2027.org.au