The Erie Armada is set to debut Saturday, September 21, in Macedon Canal Park, with an immersive experience that combines the exceptional craft brewing of New York and unique food experiences with new recreational activities on the iconic Erie Canal.

Exclusive, canal-inspired collaborations at the Armada from brewers throughout New York will include:

· Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn) x Prison City (Auburn)

·  LIC Beer Project (Queens) x Thin Man Brewery (Buffalo)

·  Barrier Brewing Co. (Long Island) x Rare Form Brewing Co. (Troy)

· Nine Pin Cider Works (Albany) x Rogers’ Cideryard (Johnstown)

The Canandaigua-based NY Food Kitchen as well as Taste NY will have demos and free tastes from leading chefs to complement a bevy of food trucks from the Finger Lakes and the Rochester area.

But the Armada is as much about celebrating the iconic Erie Canal, now in its 195th year of operation. To pay homage, the Armada will feature a series of paddling competitions with boats that will make up for with creativity what they lack in frills. For guests, kayaks will be available to tackle a two-mile orienteering trail on the Canal at Lock E-30, about 25 miles east of Rochester. Canal rides will also be available on the Colonial Belle, a popular tour boat.

“The Erie Canal is a place to have fun on and off the water and that’s what the Armada is all about,” says Rory McEvoy, President of Erie Armada Inc. “There’s no better place to hold this event than at one of the canal’s historic locks.”

The Armada will also include a one-of-a-kind light sculpture from acclaimed Brooklyn-based interactive design studio Dave & Gabe.

The event was born from the New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Reimagine the Canals Competition. The Erie Armada was one of two winners selected out of 145 entries from seven countries.

“I’m confident the Erie Armada will be a great example of how the Erie Canal can be reimagined for the 21st century,” says New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton. “Something old really can be new again.”

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at eriearmada.com