Presque Isle State Park's annual festival invites visitors to discover the peninsula

Millions of people visit Presque Isle State Park every year with its beaches, trails and sunsets being among the top attractions.

If you've never stepped on the sand there, walked a path or watched the Earth's closest star disappear below the waters of Lake Erie, Discover Presque Isle is inviting you to learn about these and all the other activities you can do at the state park in Erie County.

"Discover Presque Isle's goal is to encourage the community to 'discover' the park in new ways and to raise awareness of its rich offerings," according to the website for the Presque Isle Partnership.

The partnership is a nonprofit that supports the park and puts on the annual Discover Presque Isle.

Jon DeMarco, the partnership's executive director, said the weeklong event is meant to "highlight everything that makes Presque Isle so special."

When is Discover Presque Isle?

This year's seven-day festival will run July 21-27.

Hours vary depending on the activity. Beach yoga, birding by pontoon boat and the pancake breakfast all start at 7:30 a.m. The giant beach bonfire is expected to go until 10 p.m.

What events are new for 2025?

Sand sculptures take shape during a past Discover Presque Isle. The 2025 festival will feature the popular competition as well as a professional sand sculptor.

DeMarco said the partnership hired professional sand sculptor Todd Pangborn of Jamestown, New York. Pangborn will begin sculpting sand July 25 on Beach 11, finishing his creation sometime July 26.

The professional sculpture is meant to compliment, not replace, the popular Marquette Savings Bank Sand Sculpture Competition on July 26 that anyone can participate in, DeMarco said.

How does Discover Presque Isle help the state park?

T-shirt sales at Discover Presque Isle will benefit the Presque Isle Partnership's efforts to support the state park. The partnership provides mobile mats that can be placed on beaches to allow access for wheelchairs and people who have trouble moving over sand.

While admission to the state park and to Discover Presque Isle is always free, donations are accepted. Donors who receive a Discover Presque Isle pin can register the number on the back for the chance to win a $1,000 Country Fair gift card. Buttons are one for $3 or two for $5.

Official event T-shirts will be sold for $15 for youth and $20 for adults with proceeds benefitting initiatives at the park.

Money raised at past Discover Presque Isle festivals has been used for play areas, lifeguard stations, mobile mats that can be placed on beaches to allow access for wheelchairs and people who have trouble moving over sand, and other amenities the state doesn't fund.

DeMarco said money raised in 2025 will go toward more mobile mats as well as eventual improvements to the playground at Water Works and nature play space at Beach 11.

Many of the Discover Presque Isle activities are free but there are fees for some, such as bicycle and boat rentals and the pancake breakfast. Local and regional artisans and food trucks will be selling their products for varying prices.

Schedule highlights

Here are some of the things to do during Discover Presque Isle:

• Beach yoga, pilates and yogilates: July 21-27, 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., Beach 8. Classes and instructors vary; take your own mat.
• Northwestern Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association: July 21-27, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Tom Ridge Environmental Center, 301 Peninsula Drive. See a mobile hive and shop local honey products.
• Birding Basics with Erie Bird Observatory: July 21 and 23, 8-9 a.m., Thompson Circle. Take a leisurely stroll and look for local song birds.
• History of Presque Isle: July 21, 9-10 a.m. and 1-2 p.m., Ridge Center, Room 112. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources environmental educators share the peninsula's background.
• Turtles of Presque Isle: July 22, 9-10:30 a.m., lagoons boat launch. A park naturalist will talk turtles; take your own binoculars if you have them.
• Tamarack Birds of Prey: July 22, 4-5 p.m., Ridge Center, Big Green Screen Theater. Tamarack Wildlife Center's interactive and educational program with live birds.
• Discover Archery with DCNR: July 23, 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m., Ridge Center pavilion. Learn about the equipment, how to use a bow and shooting safety.

• Presque Isle Through the Lens: July 23, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Ridge Center, Big Green Screen Theater. Park naturalists will share photos and videos of flora, fauna, events and more.
• UPMC Sunset Music Series: July 23, 5:30 p.m. to sunset, Beach 11. The final concert in the six-week series falls during DPI and will feature opener Small Town Rollers and headliner Above All in Volume.
• Eco-Paddle with DCNR: July 24, 9-11 a.m., lagoons boat launch. Guided paddle through the lagoon system; take your kayak, rentals also available.
• Birding by Pontoon with Erie Bird Observatory: July 25, 7:30-8:30 a.m., pontoon boat station at lagoons. An EBO guide will lead a pontoon boat ride through the lagoons looking for birds.
• Beach Illumination: July 25, 8-9:30 p.m., Sunset Point. Enjoy sunset, colorful lights, windsocks, kites and more.
• Sunset Point Kite Flyers: July 25 and 26, weather dependent, Sunset Point. Marvel at the kites.
• Lagoon by Pontoon: July 25-27, 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon, pontoon boat station. Take an interpretive DCNR pontoon boat ride through the lagoons and Misery Bay.
• Archery Encounters: July 25-27, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., playfield just beyond the Ranger Station. Local archery experts will be there to help visitors try the sport.
• Vendor & Food Festival: July 25 and 26, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and July 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Beach 11. Dozens of artisans, food trucks and environmental partners will be set up.
• Presque Isle Volleyball Challenge: July 26, 8:30 a.m. check in, Beach 6. Team pre-registration is required.
• Fishing with S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie: July 26, 9 a.m.-noon, near the Rotary Pavilion. Fishing license not required; equipment provided.
• Marquette Sand Sculpture Competition: July 26, build from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., judging at 12:30 p.m., awards at 1 p.m., Beach 11. All skill levels welcome; register that morning.
• Discover Presque Isle Beach Concert: July 26, 2-10 p.m., Beach 1. Five local bands will play.

The bonfire on the beach is one of the popular attractions at Discover Presque Isle.

• Fire performers: July 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Beach 1. Enjoy a performance of fire art around the bonfire.
• Giant Beach Bonfire: July 26, 9-10 p.m., Beach 1. Enjoy the fire and a concert.
• Presque Isle Rotary Pancake Breakfast: July 26 and 27, 7:30 a.m. to noon, Rotary Pavilion. Breakfast served for a fee.