Margate Duck Derby Returns to the Amherst Avenue Bayfront

Hundreds of rubber ducks, a bayfront course, and one very unusual race are returning to Margate.

The annual Margate Duck Derby is scheduled for August 23 along the Amherst Avenue bayfront, with activity centered around Scott’s Dock and the Washington Avenue Municipal Pier.

Organized by the Margate Business Association with support from local sponsors, the event turns a section of tidal water into a racecourse for numbered, weighted rubber ducks while raising money for community initiatives.

It is one of those distinctly Margate events that makes considerably more sense once you see it in person.

How does the Margate Duck Derby work?

The concept is simple.

Numbered rubber ducks are released into a controlled section of water and carried along the course toward a funnel-shaped finish area.

The ducks are weighted to help them travel through the tidal course, turning the bay into a natural raceway.

Participants follow the progress of their numbered entries as the ducks move toward the finish.

Unlike a traditional road race, however, the competitors require no training whatsoever.

The combination of the bayfront setting and the unusual race format has helped make the Duck Derby a recognizable Margate summer event.

Where is the Duck Derby held?

The event takes place along Amherst Avenue, using the bayfront around Scott’s Dock and the Washington Avenue Municipal Pier.

That setting is a major part of what makes the event distinctive.

Amherst Avenue already serves as one of Margate’s primary bayfront activity areas during the summer. Using the water itself as the racecourse turns a familiar part of town into something completely different for the event.

For visitors unfamiliar with Margate, the bayfront side of town can feel very different from the beach blocks only a short distance away.

The Duck Derby puts that side of the community front and center.

More than a rubber duck race

The event also serves as a fundraiser.

Proceeds support local community initiatives and commercial district improvements, giving the race a purpose beyond the spectacle of watching rubber ducks move through the bay.

The Margate Business Association organizes the event alongside local corporate sponsors.

That community-business connection is common throughout Margate’s summer calendar, where local events often combine entertainment with fundraising or support for community programs.

The Duck Derby simply does it in one of the more memorable ways.

Why the bayfront makes the event

Plenty of towns could hold a rubber duck race in a pool or artificial channel.

Margate uses the bay.

That changes the entire character of the event.

Scott’s Dock, the Washington Avenue Municipal Pier, and the Amherst Avenue waterfront provide a setting immediately recognizable to people who spend their summers in Margate.

The tidal course also adds an element that organizers cannot completely manufacture: the ducks actually have to travel through the water toward the finish.

It turns a simple fundraiser into something tied specifically to Margate’s geography.

Margate Moments

Summer traditions do not always have to be decades old to become part of a community.

Sometimes they stick because they are just unusual enough that people remember them.

The Margate Duck Derby fits that category.

Families can spend the morning on the beach, head toward Amherst Avenue, and suddenly find themselves watching a fleet of numbered rubber ducks racing through the bay.

It is quirky, local, and difficult to confuse with an event happening anywhere else.

That is a pretty good formula for a Margate summer tradition.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Margate Duck Derby?

The 2026 event is scheduled for August 23.

Where does the race happen?

The event takes place along the Amherst Avenue bayfront around Scott’s Dock and the Washington Avenue Municipal Pier in Margate.

Who organizes the Duck Derby?

The Margate Business Association organizes the event with support from local sponsors.

A different side of summer in Margate

Margate’s beaches naturally receive much of the attention during August, but events like the Duck Derby highlight how much of the town’s summer life also happens along the bay.

The Amherst Avenue waterfront provides the perfect backdrop for an event that is intentionally a little unconventional.

And for anyone who has never watched rubber ducks compete in a tidal race before, August 23 provides the opportunity.

Sources: Margate Has More; Greater Atlantic City Chamber; Downbeach Today