November 21 | 6–9pm | 207–211 Water Street | Free
Step into the 19th century-style letterpress printing shop Bowne & Co. at the Seaport Museum to kick off the holiday season at the annual Wayzgoose—a 500-year-old printers’ tradition celebrating the changing of the seasons.
Join the Museum community for light refreshments as the printers of Bowne & Co. give you the opportunity to get hands-on with printing equipment from the Seaport Museum’s working collection and print your own holiday-themed works. For those looking to get a head start on holiday shopping, be the first to check out this season’s delightful selection of holiday gifts, cards, and other seasonal paper goods at the Bowne & Co. gift emporium.
The charming shop offers the perfect setting to continue the long-standing Wayzgoose tradition. This event provides a special opportunity for printers to share the fruits of their labor with colleagues and friends, to raise a glass in celebration, and to reflect on the year and the joys of the upcoming holiday season. Registration is encouraged for this free event but walkups will be accommodated as possible. You are welcome to visit anytime between 6pm and 9pm, and you don’t have to stay for the full event. Access to this event includes walking up and down a few stairs.
A Brief History of Wayzgoose
Legend has it that when Johannes Gutenberg and his team completed the first edition of the Bible, he invited them to his countryside residence for a celebratory dinner where he served a roast goose—they went away to eat a goose, giving rise to the term Wayzgoose.
Wayzgoose is a traditional printer’s party that coincides with Bartholomewtide, the feast of St. Bartholomew, celebrated on August 24. St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of both bookbinders and butchers. In Northern Europe, the season began to change around this time, and papermakers would take a break from their work to produce waxed paper, used to cover windows in homes and workshops that couldn’t afford glass. While this wax paper provided insulation, it also blocked sunlight, marking the shift to working by candlelight. Wayzgoose celebrations recognized this seasonal transition.
Enjoy More That the Museum Offers
Access to the Seaport Museum’s historic ships and exhibition galleries is not included with this event. To explore more that the Museum has to offer, book in advance or ask Museum staff about Pay What You Wish admission tickets, available Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm when you check in.
These tickets grant access to the 1885 tall ship Wavertree at Pier 16 and all current exhibitions on view in the introduction galleries inside Schermerhorn Row located at 12 Fulton Street. Timed tours of the 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16 are available separately.
Advance Pay What You Wish tickets for the forthcoming Maritime City exhibition, opening in March 2025 in A.A. Thomson & Co. located at 213 Water Street are now available. Be among the first to explore this exciting new exhibition!
Bowne & Co.
Bowne & Co. is New York’s oldest operating business under the same name. Using seven historic presses from the Museum’s working collection, our resident printers continue the age-old tradition of job (or small batch) printing, creating individual designs using custom plates or historic fonts.