Here is your chance to try different kinds of kayaks and stand up paddle boards from different manufactures.  

11th Annual Chesapeake Bay Paddlefest

Saturday, May 7, 2011     

Location:  Gunpowder Falls State Park – Hammerman Beach, in Baltimore County, Maryland

According to their website:

 This event is free to the public and will be held rain or shine at the Gunpowder Falls State Park.  

There will be kayak & stand up paddle board demos and clinics.

Demo kayaks will be available from Old Town, Necky, Wilderness Systems, Ocean Kayak and more.

Demo stand up paddle boards will also be available from Amundson, Bic, Naish, Oxbow, McTavish, NSP, Surf Series, 7 Surfboards, Walden and more.

Manufacturer representatives and kayak experts will be on hand to assist you in selecting your demo gear and to answer any questions.

Although this is a free event, Maryland State Park does charge an admission fee for the Park.

For more information on this paddlefest or to find other paddlefests, paddling events, kayak races, canoe races, festivals, adventure races or triathlons, click here to go to our kayak & canoe races & events calendar.

If you have a kayak race, canoe race or paddling event that you would like listed on our paddling races and events calendar, please use our handy contact form to send us the details.

Chicago, IL is the location for this weekend’s (June 12 & 13, 2010) second annual Aurora Paddlesports Festival sponsored by the Illinois Paddling Council, he Chicago Area Sea Kayaking Association and the City of Aurora. Head on down to Phillips Park and have a day of fun that revolves around our love for kayaking, canoeing and all other paddle sports.

There will be exhibitions, demonstrations, area paddle sports retailer and local paddle clubs. If you’re a beginner, you’ll love getting a chance to hop in and paddle around. If you’re a seasoned paddler, you’ll want to check out what’s new in the world of kayak and canoe gear, boats and techniques. The festival will offer two hour introductory lessons in canoeing and kayaking taught by American Canoe Association certified instructors. Visitors can also test paddle the latest boat designs from well-known canoe and kayak manufacturers.

And you definitely won’t want to miss Illinois’ first local paddling film fest. The Prairie Paddling Film Fest will bring Illinois best paddling filmmakers to the Festival with on-going films and live presentations by the film-makers. The one hour film presentations on both days are free to the public.

So if you’re in the Chicago area and looking for something to do with the whole family, go check out the Aurora Paddlesports Festival. If you’ve never been in a kayak or canoe but always wanted to, this is your chance! And if you do go…let us know! Click here to send us a note about the festival if you were lucky enough to get there.

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

Looking for paddling locations in your state?

Search our places to paddle page for places to kayak or canoe for flatwater or whitewater.  Kayaking and canoeing paddling locations are listed by U.S. State