Collingwood Sidelaunch Days
Sidelaunch Days is about celebrating the heritage of our harbour, and remembering the days when school would let out early so all the students could watch the marvel of a ship being launched. Many Collingwood residents grew up with the sound of the horns announcing a ship was about to be launched. Sidelaunch Days helps to bring back those memories, and to introduce a new generation of Collingwood residents and visitors to the heritage of our community.
The objective of the Sidelaunch Days Festival is to create a family-focused event that will bring people to the Collingwood waterfront to enjoy a variety of activities that take place in, on, and around the water while inspiring better health and fitness, as well as capturing our shipbuilding history and the importance of water safety.
Our local museum hosts informational exhibits for attendees to learn about the excitement of a Side Launch and the hard work that was required to make a launch successful. Sidelaunch Days had a packed agenda of activities, demonstrations, displays and tryouts to bring families to the waterfront.
We wanted to tap into an audience base who shared an interest in the history of the waterfront, with a love of ships, water preservation and safety, or shared a nostalgic connection to the water, whether in Collingwood, or in another community.