Kickoff WCC 2025 at the Erie Canal Bicentennial Summer Sendoff
Sunday, September 21, 12:00-5:00pm
Head to Canalside for free, family-friendly activities, live performances, carousel rides, Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief tours, special programs, and entertainment.
Let’s talk the future of canals everywhere.
The World Canals Conference gathers experts and enthusiasts from all over the world to share innovative practices related to economic and community development, waterway management, tourism, and historic preservation along inland waterways around the globe.
On its 200th anniversary, the Erie Canal provides the perfect backdrop for the 2025 conference. Discover how the same spirit of innovation that built the canal and transformed America is revitalizing the Erie Canal for future generations.
Rub Shoulders on the Cutting Edge
If you are working in economic and community development, waterway management, tourism and recreation, or heritage conservation along canals and inland waterways, WCC2025 is for you.
Experience the Wonder
Exclusive conference field sessions and tours take you to the heart of what attracts the world to our waterways, from boundless recreation to innovative community initiatives and the natural wonder of Niagara Falls.
Commemorate Erie Canal’s 200th Birthday
2025 marks our bicentennial — and yet our journey has just begun. We’ll honor our legacy while highlighting the innovative transformation driving the next century.
Witness History Repeating Itself
Join us for the send-off ceremony of the replica canal boat, Seneca Chief—the first vessel to traverse the Erie Canal—rebuilt using traditional methods. The vessel will be towed by a historic tugboat and accompanied by a flotilla.
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Our Sponsors
- Brown Security Solutions
- Buffalo Construction Consultants
- Confer Plastics, Inc.
- DV Brown & Associates
- LeChase Construction
- Mollenberg-Betz, Inc.
- Pike Construction Services
- Roux Environmental Engineering
- USC Builds