What does it take to be the perfect pirate? A red bandana, sturdy leather boots, an eye patch, a vest, belts and a three-cornered hat. All that, and a boldly confident attitude.
On May 15, pirates of all shapes and sizes will set sail for Buckeye Lake, home of what is billed as the largest gathering of pirates in the Midwest.
The pirates won’t be there to plunder sailing ships or set off in search of treasure. They will be the lively crew attending the annual Buckeye Lake Pirate Fest. Now in its third year, the festival will be held May 15-17 at the Port Royal Marketplace at Big Stan’s Bar & Grill on the shore of Buckeye Lake in Thornville.
This is a festival that began in 2024 with 3,000 attendees and grew to 5,000 in 2025. The fast-growing pirate community encouraged the organizers, Captain Kelly Collins and Skipper Charlie (Neena Collins), to move the festival to a larger venue this year.
Kelly Collins had a “lifelong dream” of retiring near the water with a house and a boat. After working in the haunted house industry for nearly 40 years, He and his wife, Neena Collins, moved to Buckeye Lake to begin that next chapter.
They kicked it off by attending their first Winterfest at Buckeye Lake, held each year on the last Saturday in January, dressed as pirates alongside six friends. The eight pirates quickly became the talk of the festival. When people asked who they were, they replied, “We’re the Buckeye Lake Pirates.”
Their popularity led them to create an official “pirate gang” on Facebook called Buckeye Lake Pirates. In a span of seven years, the group grew to 1,300 members, inspiring the idea for a new festival that required all hands on deck.
Neena is a devoted Halloween enthusiast – so much so that she owned enough costumes to fill an entire room. Her passion ran so deep that she could transform herself into nearly every character from The Rocky Horror Show. Then she found a partner who shared her love for not only costumes but also for immersive entertainment. Even their wedding reception was pirate-themed.
On their first date, Kelly told Neena about the haunted house industry, a conversation that eventually led her to work in a haunted house where she scared “a bunch of big, tall, grown men,” calling it “the best job ever.” Together, they owned and operated the Scareatorium in Columbus and founded the Midwest Haunters Convention, the largest Halloween show of its kind in the U.S. With that professional background in immersive entertainment, they were able to create a festival that rises above a standard local fair.
“There’s a saying: The first year they sleep; the second year they creep; and the third year they leap,” Neena said, reflecting on the festival’s growth. It has inspired people in other communities to launch their own pirate-themed events, such as the Ohio Pirate Con in Fremont and the Pyrate Fest in Port Clinton.
This year, the Buckeye Lake event features a large, family-friendly treasure hunt, with unique routes to 30 local businesses. The routes are specifically designed for golf carts, motorcycles and pontoon boats.
“We work till midnight almost every night,” Kelly Collins said about planning the event.
Yet the duo does not stay up for profit; they do it all for free – not only the joy of making people laugh and have a good time, but also for the Buckeye Lake community.
The event has become a big contributor to the local economy and a force in strengthening community bonds. Local businesses reported that Pirate Fest was their highest-volume weekend of 2025, surpassing the Fourth of July, which traditionally has been a big draw for lake-area communities.
This year’s Pirate Fest will feature more than 100 vendors, live entertainment, and the “Pirate’s Cove” kids’ area. A Renaissance market will showcase acoustic guitar performances and magicians while another section of the market will feature vendors dressed as pirates and mermaids. A main stage will host pirate bands along with a pirate fashion and body-art show.
And really, anyone can be a pirate for a day with as little as blue jeans, a white shirt and a red bandana, said Neena Collins. “It’s more about the attitude than it is about the clothing,” she said.
Daniela Gomez Vargas writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.