BURLINGTON, Vt. -
It's a big weekend in the Champlain Valley. The sixth annual Lake Champlain Maritime Festival started Thursday and runs through Sunday.
Visitors can listen to live music and visit a whole host of venues along the waterfront in Burlington. The event aims to highlight the importance and fun of Lake Champlain. Organizers say it's also an opportunity for people to learn about area nonprofit organizations involved in the festival. Some 35,000 people are expected to attend.
"We want to celebrate Lake Champlain. Our director, Mike O'Brien, likes to say that we're the First Night of the summer. We're one of the only festivals that ties together all the venues along the waterfront in Burlington and we hope to expand that in years to come," said Tara Perkins of the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival.
Something new this year is a 5K Pirate Run. It begins at 8:45 a.m. Saturday in front of ECHO. Runners are asked to dress in pirate garb. There's still room and time to participate.
Click here for more on the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival.
