Harborfest Poster Creator Shows The Festival At Its Sparkling Best

Steve Watson, center, shows his poster as he receives his award from Harborfest Executive Director Dan Harrington and Marketing and Membership Coordinator Carol Dillabough. Photo provided by Dave Bullard.

OSWEGO – A friend’s suggestion stuck in Steve Watson’s head until weeks later, the design for the 2023 edition of Harborfest came out. Watson’s poster, the winning design in Harborfest’s 2023 poster competition, is a dynamic take on its famous fireworks show and its many musical performances.

Steve Watson’s 2023 Harborfest poster. Photo provided by Dave Bullard

The poster shows fireworks bursting into the night sky like a bouquet of electric flowers, wrapped in swirls of musical starbursts. The Oswego man received $100 for his winning entry.

Watson said a friend prompted him to think about a poster design.

“It sounded fun, so I did,” Watson said. The design grew from “the two things that stick in my mind the most from all the Harborfests I’ve been to: fireworks and music.”

Watson isn’t a professional designer but said he creates posters to promote music shows and other events.

“Our signature fireworks show has been the star for many of our annual posters over the years,” Harborfest Executive Director Dan Harrington said. “Steve’s design really captured the energy and the emotion of the festival. He did a terrific job and we’ll be proud to show this poster this year.”

“It is certainly an honor to be a part of something as great as Oswego’s Harborfest,” Watson said.

Harborfest returns July 27 – 30 to Oswego with the music, food, midway rides and crafts that have made it one of Upstate New York’s biggest and best free community festivals. The highlight is the annual Grucci Brothers fireworks show over Lake Ontario Saturday, July 29.

Detailed information about Harborfest can be found on its website and Facebook page.

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