The Wooden Boat Festival is a celebration of the traditional timber sailing boats of Ireland and takes the form of three days of sailing, talking, learning and partying in true West Cork style. The first festival was held at Baltimore in May 2002. This was the first gathering of traditional sailing boats on the south west coast since the 1930s and proved such a success that is was decided to make it an annual event. One of the objectives of the festival is to encourage interest in the traditional, timber working boats of the Baltimore area among enthusiasts and the wider public. There are races and events for rowing and sailing craft and the weekend comes to a climax with the parade of sail on Sunday afternoon. As the festival coincides with Baltimore Seafood Festival, this is one of the most action-packed weekends of the year.