If you’re a fan of historical reenactments (and World War II history obviously), then you’ll love the D-Day Conneaut festival in northeastern Ohio. But “reenactment” is putting it mildly as this is actually the country’s largest D-Day reenactment, and on a real beach at that. Read on for more about what it’s like attending this cool festival and all you need to know before you go this year.
What is D-Day Conneaut
D-Day Conneaut is considered the USA’s largest D-Day reenactment, and one of the country’s most authentic World War II reenactments in general. It brings together the talents of more than 1,500 experienced reenactors, scores of historic WWII tanks, aircraft, and vehicles, and boatloads of authentic uniforms, equipment, weaponry, encampments, and more. About 45,000 people attend this festival annually.
D-Day Conneaut is a 3-day, weekend-long festival all focused on World War II. There’s the signature D-Day beach landing reenactment, yes, but there’s also a whole daily schedule of events, programs, and activities. Head to the “What to do” section below for a breakdown of everything you can see and do here.
Where is D-Day Conneaut
D-Day Conneaut takes place in Conneaut, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, just a couple miles from the Pennsylvania border. More specifically, it takes place in Conneaut Township Park. Here’s how long it’ll generally take you to get here from:
- Cleveland, OH: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Erie, PA: 45 minutes
- Pittsburgh, PA: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Buffalo, NY: 2 hours
- Columbus, OH: 3 hours 10 minutes
Check out all the interesting WWII sites in Cleveland while you’re here too.
When is D-Day Conneaut
Don’t let the name of this festival fool you; D-Day Conneaut does NOT take place in June. Instead, D-Day Conneaut takes place in August (mostly due to logistical reasons and scheduling conflicts, as far as I’ve been told).
Each day of the festival, events take place from 8am to 5pm with a full schedule of activities in between. Friday and Saturday have special events that last well into the night.
D-Day Conneaut 2025 will take place from August 14-16.
When to book tickets
However, still keep June 6th in mind because that is when tickets go on “sale” for D-Day Conneaut each year. Read on for more ticket info below.
How much does D-Day Conneaut cost
Because availability is limited for each day, you must have a ticket in order to attend D-Day Conneaut. The good thing is that tickets are free!
Your free D-Day Conneaut ticket gets you into the event and gets you free access to the entire entertainment program. You can watch all the reenactments, explore all the encampments, shop at the flea market, and much more. If you’d like to upgrade your experience with, say, a ride in a real WWII B-25 or C-47, that’s gonna cost you though.
You’ll still have to pay for parking and food and drink throughout the day, plus any souvenirs or memorabilia you pick up.
Interested in visiting the real D-Day landing beaches? Check out all of my D-Day Normandy articles here.
What to see and do at D-Day Conneaut
D-Day Conneaut is most famous for its reenactment of the D-Day Normandy beach landings, but it’s really so much more than that. There are several other battle reenactments, all kinds of learning and training sessions, an Army Chaplain church service, war-era baseball games, tank and mortar firing demonstrations, a USO-style dance, paratrooper drops, brass bands, and even rides in authentic Higgins Boats out on the lake. Here’s a brief summary of things you can see and do at D-Day Conneaut:
Reenactments at D-Day Conneaut
The highlight of the festival is the Seaborne Normandy Beach Landing Battle which takes place on all three days of the festival at 3pm. Here are some other reenactments you can see while you’re here:
- Maquis Attack and French Resistance Skirmish (attacks on German troops by the French Resistance)
- Airborne Battle (British reenactors attempt to secure the area for the landing teams)
- British Airborne Battle for the Pegasus Bridge (British troops attempt to hold the Pegasus Bridge) – See what the real Pegasus Bridge looks like in this post.
- Foucarville Battle between England and occupied France
Interactive sessions and activities
Besides the reenactments, there are a bunch of other interactive events you can watch and even take part in. Such as:
- Flag raisings
- Artillery and tank firing
- USO-type camp shows
- Landing team drills – Watch as the troops prepare for their upcoming landings
- Document forgery presentations and intelligence gathering – Learn about forging documents and other acts of espionage from the French Resistance
- Ranger briefings
- German weapons demonstrations
- Rifle and bayonet drills and demonstrations
- Victory gardening
- Telephone, switchboard, radio, and Morse code trainings
- Army Chaplain’s church service
- And tons more
Special events and activities
Beyond all of the above, there are a handful of additional special events and activites you can participate in. Note that each of these events either costs extra or requires a separate ticket. Your free general admission ticket won’t get you access to these.
- USO-style Dance on Saturday only; small admission fee (I attended the hangar dance at WWII Weekend in Reading, PA and it was one of the highlights of the whole event.)
- Higgins Boat rides – Yes, you can ride in a real Higgins Boat from WWII. This opportunity is free but you do need a separate ticket. (And they’re quite hard to come by so claim yours ASAP.)
- WWII airplane flights – You can also book flights on either an authentic B-25 or C-47 while you’re here. These also cost extra, most of which is tax deductible.
Also read: 21 Awesome Reasons You Should Attend WWII Weekend in Reading, PA
The atmosphere
Besides all the things you can do at D-Day Conneaut are all the things you can also see. Besides the activities themselves, you can also walk freely among the many army encampments–US, Great Britain, and Germany/Occupied France. You can also check out the Home Front and the French Resistance camp. Look inside the fully recreated tents, talk to the soldiers, and just be generally nosy. (But never touch anything unless given permission!)
There’s also a flea market for some great souvenirs and memorabilia, and lots of concession stands and grassy areas to hang out. I’ve also found the reenactors are more than happy to chat with you. Ask them about their weapons or their camp or anything else. My favorite was meeting “Bill Millin”–the “Bagpiper of Normandy”–who even let me hold his bagpipes.
D-Day Ohio WWII Museum
While here, you can also visit the nearby D-Day Ohio WWII Museum. This museum is open annually from Memorial Day to Labor Day and contains tons of great exhibits and artifacts. Admission to the museum is free and it’s open from noon to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
My favorite parts of D-Day Conneaut
One of the highlights of attending D-Day Conneaut for me personally were the tank firing demonstrations. I’ve always been especially interested in tanks, and though I’ve seen several tank parades and such, I’ve never actually witnessed one firing its guns in real life. This was such a thrill for me! It really is an experience like no other. So if you want to know what it feels like to be punched square in the chest, don’t miss this.
After the tank firings, you get to talk to the drivers and crew. One of them even handed me a 50lb. mortar shell and threw his helmet on me.
I also particularly loved meeting the “Bagpiper of Normandy” since that has always been one of my favorite D-Day anecdotes. True to history, he also performs in the Pegasus Bridge reenactment.
What to eat and drink at D-Day Conneaut
At D-Day Conneaut you’ll find a bunch of standard “festival” food vendors. You can expect to find things like burgers, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, pizza, chicken tenders, funnel cakes, etc. As far as drinks, expect all the typical non-alcoholic offerings: soda, lemonade, water, sports drinks, and even smoothies.
No alcohol is sold at D-Day Conneaut (deadly weapons and all). Food vendors accept cash and credit card. (At least, the one I bought food from did.) Small coolers are also permitted.
What to wear to D-Day Conneaut
The main thing to remember when getting dressed for D-Day Conneaut is that the entire event is outside so you’ll need to dress for the weather. Warm/hot weather in August and also the chance of rain.
Wear some good outdoor shoes (especially if it’ll be wet). You’ll be walking a lot and on all kinds of surfaces: pavement, dirt/mud, grass, sand, etc. Don’t forget a rain jacket, umbrella, a sun hat, sunscreen, and maybe even a small portable fan if it’ll be really hot. (My friend brings this one everywhere.)
If the weather is nice, many people also dress the part and show up in their best period outfits. My friend Amanda (the Cleveland Traveler) who attended with me got a lot of compliments on her polka dot dress. Rosie is an easy look to copy too.
Another great thing you can wear are some DWWII D-Day t-shirts! I went with the tank top because it was so hot, but this D-Day Landing Beaches Tee is my all-time best-seller.
Where to park for D-Day Conneaut
There’s no dedicated on-site parking for D-Day Conneaut unfortunately, but finding parking still isn’t too difficult. There are several general parking lots available (along Day Street) and many local residents make their driveways and yards available for parking (for a small fee of course). We paid $10 to park at someone’s house about a 5-minute walk away.
For veterans and those with mobility issues, you can park for free at the Conneaut High School parking lot. For these visitors only, the festival provides a free shuttle to and from the park every 15-20 minutes or so.
Otherwise, finding a parking spot is all on you. Be sure to arrive early to make sure you can find a spot, and give yourself a little extra time in case you need to circle a bit first.
Helpful tips for attending D-Day Conneaut
Most of this festival is pretty straightforward, but here are a couple tips you might find helpful:
You can bring blankets and beach chairs
Since much of the experience is simply watching reenactments, it’ll be nice to have a place to sit during this. There aren’t many places to sit here so keep that in mind. (Small backpacks to carry them are also allowed.)
Something like this small portable chair would be easy to carry around. Or a thin blanket from home. I always bring a small beach tarp (shown below) for things like this in case the ground gets wet.
Grab your seat as early as possible
If you’ve come to see the D-Day beach reenactment, make sure to snag your spot early. Seating for this event is first come-first served so you’ll want to make sure you can actually see it. There’s seating down along the beach, and up the hill at the back too. I got a spot at the top of the hill where I could see all the action, but I was in the back and had to stand up on a parking block the whole time. (I’m fairly short.)
Go for more than one day if you can
There’s a long list of events and activities each day, but many of these overlap since the festival is so big. If you go for just one day, you won’t be able to see and do everything. I’d say plan to go for two days if you can so you can experience all of it. Just remember you’ll need a ticket for each day.
Bring earplugs
Needless to say, even a mock battle with real WWII weaponry and tanks is going to be loud. I highly recommend bringing some earplugs if you plan on sitting anywhere near the reenactments.
Pick up a program when you arrive
For just a few dollars you can get an official event program booklet that has all kinds of helpful info plus event schedules, maps, and more. You can also read tons about D-Day history and some interesting related personal stories in here.
Just a couple more things
And here’s just a few more of my random thoughts on what it’s like at D-Day Conneaut:
Some necessary changes
One thing I thought was weird during the beach landing reenactment was that the beaches run in the opposite direction from those in Normandy. By that I mean, Utah Beach is the farthest to the right, with Omaha Beach in the middle, and Gold and Juno Beaches on the far left. (And there’s no Sword Beach at all.)
This is simply due to the way the actual beach and park here on Lake Erie are laid out and the logistics required for each of these unique beach battles. It’s unfortunate that the country’s “most authentic D-Day reenactment” has to make such a major change, but it is what it is. Just go with it.
Nazi reenactors
I get nervous any time I attend an event where there will be Nazi reenactors. And that, hidden behind a guise of historical accuracy, there would be a gratuitous use of Nazi iconography and imitation (especially in such a way that glorifies them). Thankfully, I saw none of this at D-Day Conneaut.
In terms of reenactors, that is; there was a great deal of this on display at the flea market though which is pretty disturbing. I’m not sure why vendors are allowed to display and sell such items when wearing these symbols as both reenactors and guests is prohibited.
Where to stay for D-Day Conneaut
During my visit, I stayed with my friend who lives in Cleveland and we drove over to Conneaut from there. There are some hotels closer to the festival area though if you’d prefer a shorter drive. Here are a couple places to start your hotel search:
There are many more great places to choose from though. Check Booking.com for your full list of options.
More info for your visit to Ohio
- Hotels: Find great places to stay on Booking.com (my go-to). Expedia and Hotels.com are worth checking too. VRBO is best for apartment rentals.
- Rental cars: Check out the best local rental car deals here.
- For more local tours, check out all the options from Viator and Get Your Guide.
- Travel planning: Pick up an Ohio guidebook.
Like this post? Have questions about attending D-Day Conneaut? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
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