MANITOWOC — The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association has announced the 2024 Ghost Ships Festival, which will be held Friday, March 1, 2024 and Saturday, March 2, 2024 in Manitowoc.

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.

The festival also features live music, presentations by underwater archaeologists, shipwreck hunters, documentary producers and 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.

The public is encouraged to attend and pre-registration can be made online at ghostshipsfestival.com. Pre-registration tickets are $20 each for the full two-day event, or $25 at the door. Youth under 18 will be admitted for free!

The Ghost Ships Festival is hosted by the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that provides opportunities for the public to assist professional archaeologists in underwater fieldwork and surveys. The Festival is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation Program, and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.