It was on April 15, 1817, the New York State legislature approved construction of the Erie Canal, connecting Albany to Buffalo. Crews began work following the ceremonial first dig on July 4, 1817, in Rome, Oneida County. The canal was officially completed on October 26, 1825.

Gil C. Quiniones, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority said, "These special events along the canal will showcase each region’s important contributions to the canal system’s legacy. I encourage everyone to come out and join the canal festivities. You will have fun and celebrate one of New York's and our nation’s most scenic and historically significant treasures."

The towns established along the canal now blossom with annual festivals, living history re-enactments and hands-on museums that celebrate the region’s rich past and the communities that live along the canal today.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, "The Erie Canal was an economic development gateway that revolutionized travel and trade. In honor of its 200th anniversary, New York State and the vibrant, surrounding communities shaped by the Canal will be hosting events to celebrate its rich heritage and the prominent place it holds in the history of our great state."

Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton said, "This will be an exciting year to visit the canals. Come experience our unique destinations and celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial with the more than 200 communities within the corridor and be a part of a history that is still being written every day."

The New York State Canal Corporation will co-host bicentennial events with communities along the canal. They include:

• Amsterdam, June 9, with a festival and fireworks at Riverlink Park, home to the new Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook Bridge;
• Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, June 10, all day canal-themed events and barbeque, where you can see the remnants of the original Erie Canal, the enlarged canal and current configuration of the Barge Canal;
• Lockport, July 8, home to the famed “Flight of Five,” a set of five locks dating to the 1860s. The Flight once effectively acted as “stairs for boats” heading up the Niagara Escarpment, the long cliff that runs east/west across New York that famously includes Niagara Falls;
• Rochester, July 14-15, featuring an Erie Canal forum and a day of family-friendly events and music, both held at the Strong National Museum of Play; and
• Rome, July 22, an all-day event at Bellamy Harbor Park, featuring a first-dig re-enactment, an arts and crafts fair, concerts and fireworks.

Other festivals, exhibits and celebrations commemorating the bicentennial include:

• The Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor plays host year-round to a number of museums and historical sites, which bring the rich history of the canal to life.
• The Corning Museum of Glass will launch GlassBarge, a floating performance venue that will bring the story of glassmaking as well as demonstrations to waterfront communities across the state beginning June 2 in Fairport.
• The Albany Symphony will bring “Water Music NY,” a series of unique musical celebrations of the historic waterway, to communities beginning in Albany on July 2, culminating July 8 in Lockport, when the orchestra will play while on a barge inside a canal lock.
• The 1862 replica canal boat “Lois McClure” will travel across the state, including the length of the Erie Canal, visiting towns and villages along the way, as crews from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum show visitors what life was like aboard a canal boat. Erie Canal Cruises in Herkimer will put on a July 4 commemoration and is planning season-long exhibits and demonstrations that will highlight the engineering triumphs of the eight-year construction process with notable innovations on display such as the wheelbarrow and stump puller.
• The Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry in the Finger Lakes shows how the opening of this vital trade route helped foster social reform movements, including women’s rights. Nearby, catch fireworks during Canal Fest on July 7-9.
• WCNY Public Media’s new documentary, Erie: The Canal That Made America will premiere this September.
• Syracuse will host the annual World Canals Conference from September 24 – 28, an international event that attracts canal professionals, tourism experts, academics and canal enthusiasts and boaters. Syracuse is also home to the Erie Canal Museum, located in the only remaining weighlock building in the U.S., where year-round interactive displays and artifacts tell the story of the canal’s development and the creativity and inventions that made it possible.
• From September 30 through October 15, Locktoberfests will take place in communities along the canal system. The annual autumn events incorporate community markets, Taste NY products, local art and entertainment and family activities. Locktoberfests are scheduled in Fort Edward, Rome, Seneca Falls, Phoenix and Lockport.
• A new Erie Canal exhibit, “New York’s Erie Canal: Gateway to a Nation,” will open this fall at the New York State Museum in Albany.
• In Lockport, the Kenan Center, celebrating its 50th anniversary, will have a special exhibition of Erie Canal photographs.
• The Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum lets visitors step back in time to experience life on the canal as it used to be, while the Canastota Canal Town Museum highlights canal history and engineering achievements.
• In the Greater Niagara region, Canalside Buffalo offers a calendar full of fun festivals featuring live music, artisans, food and kid-friendly activities.

To further celebrate the bicentennial, permit fees for recreational vessels, normally costing $25-$100, have been waived by the Canal Corporation this year.

New York’s canal system includes four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca. Spanning 524 miles, the waterway links the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. The canals form the backbone of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and connect more than 230 unique and historic communities.

The Erie Canalway Trail is a multi-use trail accommodating more than 1.5 million pedestrians, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers annually. More than three-quarters of the 365-mile Erie Canalway Trail from Albany to Buffalo is a dedicated off-road trail, much of it along the canal’s former towpath. Other off-road sections will be completed as part of Governor Cuomo’s Empire State Trail initiative, which will include the Erie Canalway Trail and portions of the Champlain Canalway Trail, and at 750 miles will be the longest multi-use recreational trail network in the nation upon its completion in 2020.

To learn more about New York’s canal heritage and bicentennial events, visit:

• New York State Canal Corporation
• I LOVE NEW YORK
• Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor