Harbor Connector Weekend Service in Locust Point: Fall 2026
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
Starting Saturday, Oct. 17, Baltimore's free Harbor Connector will keep running after Friday. The city has scheduled weekend service on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., on two routes called the Inner Harbor Loop and the Outer Harbor Loop. The rest of the year the Connector runs Monday through Friday only, so that's eight weekends of free water transit at a nearby Locust Point dock.
The Locust Point stop sits at the northern end of Hull Street. The weekend route map matters more than the schedule. Only two of the six weekend stops are on both loops, and Locust Point is one of them.
The city's announcement gives the routes this way:
| Loop | Stops | From Locust Point, you reach |
|---|---|---|
| Inner Harbor Loop | Pier 1 at Harborplace, Harbor East at E. Falls Ave. and Aliceanna, Rusty Scupper for Federal Hill, Fells Point at Thames St. and Broadway, Locust Point | The Inner Harbor promenade, Harbor East, the Federal Hill side of the basin, and Fells Point |
| Outer Harbor Loop | Fells Point, Locust Point, Canton Waterfront Park | Fells Point and Canton |
Fells Point is the other stop on both loops. That means from Hull Street you can reach every stop in the weekend system without changing boats. A Saturday in Canton and a Saturday at Harborplace both start from the same dock, on whichever loop shows up.
The weekday system is built differently. HC1 runs between Maritime Park and Locust Point from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. HC2 has served a triangle of Canton, Locust Point and Maritime Park since March 2. HC3 shuttles between Federal Hill and Pier 5. Those routes are designed for commuters. The weekend loops go to Harborplace, Harbor East and Canton Waterfront Park, which are the places people head on a Saturday.
The weekend loops come out of a ridership problem the city studied this year. In February, the Baltimore Banner reported that a ridership study found packed rush-hour trips on HC2 and nearly empty boats in the middle of the day. That's why HC2 now skips midday service entirely, running 7:15 to 11:25 a.m. and 3:50 to 8 p.m. on a 45-minute frequency. Weekday boats sit nearly empty outside commuting hours. Weekend demand had only been tested once.
That test was a short one. According to the FAQ for the city's Water Transit Strategic Plan, Baltimore City DOT worked with the Waterfront Partnership and the Baltimore Development Corporation to run weekend service on Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 13-14 as a pilot, and it drew more than 3,000 riders. Baltimore Fishbowl covered the first of those weekends as the Holiday Harbor Connector. It was promoted for Most Festive Weekend in December 2025 as a way to move between waterfront neighborhoods and events without dealing with traffic or parking.
This fall's schedule runs eight weekends instead of two, and it starts in mid-October instead of at the holidays. The system behind it is busier than it has been in years. In an Aug. 26 announcement, Maryland's congressional delegation said the Connector carried nearly 350,000 passengers in fiscal year 2026, its highest ridership since 2017. The same announcement included $10,935,000 for three replacement hybrid ferries and a fourth hybrid vessel. That money is for new boats. The sources do not say how the weekend service itself is paid for.
Harbor Boating Inc. runs the Connector for the city, and it also sells two paid services that stop around the harbor. The Baltimore Water Trolley is a hop-on, hop-off loop that runs April 1 through October 31, with single-day tickets starting at $20 for adults. The operator lists Locust Point among the Trolley's stops and runs it on Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 8 to Oct. 31. The other is the on-demand Water Taxi, which you book through the Transigo app. It runs daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., goes directly between docks, and charges dynamic fares that show up before you confirm the trip.
So on Oct. 17-18, Oct. 24-25 and Saturday, Oct. 31, Locust Point has both a free scheduled loop and a paid one. From Sunday, Nov. 1 on, the free Connector is the only scheduled weekend boat, and the app-booked taxi is the on-demand option.
Here is what has a confirmed 2026 date near the loop stops, in order:
The last weekend works out well for timing. The parade starts at 6 p.m., and the Connector runs until 7:30 p.m. That leaves time to watch the boats from Thames Street and catch a ride home from the same Fells Point stop. The morning is a different story. Santa arrives at Broadway Pier and Barcocina at 9 a.m., an hour and a half before the first weekend boat. Anyone who wants to see that will need another way across the harbor.
The Inner Loop's Pier 1 stop is in the middle of a redevelopment site. In August, the Banner reported that a contractor for MCB Real Estate had filed for site-work permits covering McKeldin Plaza, West Shore Park, the promenade and Harborplace. The permits list a proposed start date of Oct. 15, though the Banner noted it was unclear whether work would actually begin that day. The applications describe more than 17 acres of work at an estimated cost of about $132 million.
That proposed start lands two days before the first weekend boat, and West Shore Park, where Christmas Village is scheduled, is one of the affected parcels. Dan Taylor, president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, told the Banner:
"It will always be possible to walk from one side of the Inner Harbor to the other during construction."
As of Sept. 30, the city's Harbor Connector page still listed Pier 1 at Harborplace as a weekend stop. Before planning a day around it, check that page in the days ahead. The city says to "watch this space for more updates."
The weekend loops leave out the newest waterfront on Locust Point's own side of the river. Baltimore Peninsula isn't a Harbor Connector stop. In the strategic plan FAQ, the city says rougher water past Fort McHenry would likely call for a sturdier ferry than the current fleet, and that any expansion toward the Middle Branch depends on funding and further study.
So the Peninsula's October calendar is something you'd get to by land, and several dates overlap with the boat weekends. Whiskey on the Waterfront runs Oct. 17 from noon to 6 p.m. at Sagamore Spirit, 301 E. Cromwell St., with live music and food trucks. The Greetings from Baltimore Peninsula maker and vintage market opens at noon on Oct. 24 at 201 E. Cromwell St. On Oct. 31, Elijah's Park at 1 Distillery St. hosts a free Trick or Treat from 5 to 8 p.m., with crafts, a DJ, face painting and a hayride if the weather allows.
Halloween is the clearest example. A household could do the Fells Point trick-or-treat by boat from 1 to 4 p.m., ride back to Hull Street, and head to Elijah's Park for the 5 p.m. start. The nearest place to eat by the dock is Hull Street Blues Cafe at 1222 Hull St. For more on getting around this part of the city without a car, see our guide to living car-light in Federal Hill and Locust Point and our Federal Hill and Locust Point neighborhood page.
How close a home is to the Hull Street dock affects day-to-day life in Locust Point, and it can affect how a home is valued. If you're thinking about how waterfront access plays into a sale or purchase here, The Batoff Group can walk you through it. Request a Complimentary Market Consultation.
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