November 1, 2025
The Port of Galveston 200th anniversary celebration was something truly memorable. We’ve gotten great feedback from the people who attended our gala presented by Carnival Oct. 18 and the free Party on the Pier presented by Royal Caribbean Oct. 17, as well as those who purchased our commemorative history book.
The events accomplished all of the goals we set when we began planning our bicentennial celebration almost two years ago:
Thanks to the generous support of three dozen sponsors, the bicentennial was fully funded with by sponsors. Many supporters were long-time port partners, including Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which has been shipping cargo through our port for 30 years; Carnival Cruise Line, which began homeporting here in 2000; and Royal Caribbean, which has homeported here since 2001.
The free Party on the Pier was planned as our gift to the community. The family event drew an estimated 2,000-3,000 people for a night of live music and a spectacular drone show with a fireworks finale.
The drone show began with Galveston Coast Guardsman Karl Steiger performing the national anthem as 400 drones created the shape of a waving American flag. Galveston native Bob Ford narrated the history of the Port of Galveston with images of our bicentennial logo, Texas Navy ships, cruise and cargo ships, cruise line logos and more.
The show, which was visible as far as the Texas City Dike, ended with a spectacular fireworks show.
Festivities continued Saturday night with a gala at Galveston Island Convention Center. More than 700 attended the gala, which included a saber arch for dignitaries performed by cadets from Texas A&M Galveston, the debut of our history video, dinner, and dancing to a 10-piece band.
We were honored to have Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy speak about Carnival’s 25-year history with our port, as well as its plans for future growth.
Our announcement about the endowment to fund Texas A&M Galveston maritime scholarships was the highlight of the evening. Galveston Wharves Board Chairman Vic Pierson and I had the pleasure of announcing that more than $300,000 in proceeds from our bicentennial funds will be donated to the A&M foundation.
We closed our bicentennial celebration with a book signing event Oct. 29 at Ashton Villa. Dwayne Jones, Galveston Historical Foundation executive director and author of our history book, spoke about the port’s history and some book highlights.
It was a pleasure talking with people who shared stories about the generations of family members with ties to the port. These conversations reminded me that this port has been woven into the fabric of the Galveston community for generations and will be for generations to come.
Read about our bicentennial and purchase our history book at www.portofgalveston200.com.
By Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO
