The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association is proud to announce the 2025 Ghost Ships Festival on Friday, February 28th and Saturday, March 1st in Manitowoc, Wisconsin at the Inn on Maritime Bay.

The event, originally held in Milwaukee from 2000 to 2017, is a community gathering for those interested in the thousands of historic lost ships that lie on the bottom of the Great Lakes.  This year's Ghost Ships Festival will feature 3D tours of newly discovered Great Lakes shipwrecks using the latest virtual reality headset technology as well as an opportunity to Pilot ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicles) over a “shipwreck” in the event center’s pool.

This year’s festival will also highlight the 50th anniversary of the loss of Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 and will feature live music, presentations by underwater archaeologists, shipwreck hunters, documentary producers.  It will culminate in the reveal of a major new shipwreck discovery on Lake Superior.

The festival will also feature merchandise booths and exhibits from regional artists, musicians, authors, historians, underwater archaeology programs, dive shops, dive charters and dive clubs.

Admission to the Friday night programs will be free to the public courtesy of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, but registration is required for the main show on Saturday.  

The public is encouraged to attend and pre-registration for the full event can be made online at ghostshipsfestival.com. Pre-registration tickets are $25 each for the full two-day event, or $30 at the door. Youth under 18 will be admitted for free!