Sail Philadelphia Presented by Bank of America Announces Blockbuster Festival Details

PHILADELPHIA, May 1, 2018 (Newswire.com) - From May 24 – 28, 2018, Sail Philadelphia Presented by Bank of America will bring nearly a dozen tall ships from ports across the U.S. and globe to Penn’s Landing (in Philadelphia) for five days of waterfront festivities. More than 180,000 attendees from near and far are expected to navigate their way to the riverfront to celebrate the city’s maritime heritage. With live entertainment, educational activities, festive food and drink options, ship tours, and immersive sailing excursions, patrons will be able to experience the festival on land, on deck, and on the water. As an added bonus for festival goers and locals alike – the summer season starts with a bang as a free fireworks display lights up the Delaware River on Saturday, May 26.

Admission to the festival (which ranges from $7 for an adult Waterfront Festival ticket to $150 for a Sail Away tour during the Parade of Sail) gives guests access to dockside views of the tall ships, free admission to the Independence Seaport Museum, three beer gardens, vendors, and family-friendly entertainment. The site encompasses the Great Plaza, Independence Seaport Museum and its quay, as well as the seawall walk at Penn’s Landing.

Sail Philadelphia 2018 is produced in partnership by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and Independence Seaport Museum along with presenting sponsor Bank of America. The organizations are working in conjunction with Tall Ships America® to bring the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® (a series of Tall Ships® races and port festivals) to Philadelphia – the only East Coast port to host an official Tall Ships event in 2018.

Free Festival Events

Parade of Sail
Thursday, May 24, 3 – 5 p.m. (time subject to change)

The Parade of Sail is a stunning display of maritime pageantry as the tall ships sail into Philadelphia’s waterfront along the Delaware River. The Parade kicks off at (approximately) 3 p.m. as the ships approach Penn’s Landing, each providing their own unique version of showmanship before docking. No tickets required, the Parade of Sail is free and open to the public.

U.S. Airforce Band Concert
Saturday, May 26, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Head to the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing for a free concert performed by U.S. Airforce (USAF) Band – Full Spectrum. A six-piece high energy “pop & hip-hop” band out of the USAF Heritage of America Band, this dynamic group of Active Duty musicians is assembled from areas throughout the U.S. No tickets required, the concert is free and open to the public.

Delaware River Waterfront Fireworks
Saturday, May 26, 9:00 p.m.

To kick off the summer season, a spectacular fireworks show will illuminate the Delaware River. No tickets required, the fireworks display is free and open to the public.

Live Music & Entertainment

Great Plaza Main Stage Performances
May 25 – 28, 2 – 7 p.m.

Live music and family-friendly performances provide a full day, or weekend, of entertainment for Sail Philadelphia attendees. The main stage at the Great Plaza will feature musical acts including The Jolly Tars (maritime folk band), the Sea Dogs (maritime band & nautical performance group), Stella Ruze (indie folk band), the Beat Tells (Beatles tribute band), and Man About a Horse (a bluegrass quintet). Illusionist Ran’D Shine will also delight crowds with his unique brand of magical comedy. All shows and entertainment are included with same-day festival admission tickets.

Maritime Village Entertainment
May 25 – 28, 11 – 7 p.m.

Jugglers, stilt walkers, and magicians will entertain festival-goers throughout the holiday weekend. Even the youngest crew members can enjoy face painting, carnival booth games, waterfront safety lessons from a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary group, and get a few seafaring pointers from SailTime Philadelphia.

Activities at Independence Seaport Museum
May 25 – 28, 11 – 5 p.m.

Beat the heat and head indoors for educational and entertaining activities at the Independence Seaport Museum. Throughout the Sail Philadelphia festival, the museum will offer:

Hands-On Activities
- Signal Flag Activity – create colorful signal flags and learn the meaning behind flags that ships use to communicate to each other.
- Telescope Activity – make your own telescope using a cardboard paper tube to learn about instruments used at sea for navigation.
- Moving Fish Activity – create a fun moving fish and learn about the Channel Catfish that lives in the Delaware River.
- Cork Boat Activity – learn about the science behind buoyancy and why corks float by building a cork boat of your own.
- Talk to the Curator – see artifacts from the museum collection and talk to Chief Curator Craig Bruns to learn more about all of the history that the museum holds.

Citizen Science Lab Activities
- Aquatic Acidification – experiment and learn how changing pH affects life in the Delaware River and what can you do to help keep our waterways healthy.
- Explosions – shake up your knowledge and burst with wisdom as you explore the effects of pressure, containment, and ignition that have led to some of the worst disasters at sea.
- Classy Plankton – explore what’s happening in the busy microscopic world of plankton collected from the Delaware River.

Movie Screenings
May 25 – 28, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Enjoy maritime-themed movie magic as the Independence Seaport Museum holds daily screenings of “Finding Nemo” at 1 p.m. and “Pirates of the Carribean” at 4 p.m.

Food & Beverage

The Sail Philadelphia celebration wouldn’t be complete without stellar food and beverage options. Guests can choose from a wide array of food vendors throughout the festival grounds including classic festival foods like ice cream, funnel cake, and cotton candy, along with snow crab legs and peel and eat shrimp from Chickie’s & Pete’s.

For sailors over the age of 21, there will be plenty of places to wet your whistle, including three beer gardens.

Tall Ships Tavern
Beginning Thursday, May 24 at 3 p.m. the Tall Ships Tavern will pop-up on the second-floor deck of the Independence Seaport Museum and offer brews and bites from 12th Street Catering. Tall Ships Tavern will be open daily during the festival until 11 p.m. and will close at 7 p.m. on Memorial Day. 

Admirals Tavern
Admirals Tavern, also operated by the Independence Seaport Museum, opens for Sail Philadelphia guests at the Cruiser Olympia. Gather your crew for beer, cocktails, wine, and games aboard the oldest steel warship afloat in the world from 6 – 11 p.m., May 24 – 27.

Sail Philadelphia Beer Garden
At the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, the Sail Philadelphia Beer Garden will serve local craft beer and seasonal cocktails from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. during the festival. 

Ship Tours
May 25 – May 28
Price: adults, $10; seniors and military, $8; children ages 12 – 3, $7; children 2 and under, free

Daily self-guided ship tours will be available on a timed schedule for six of the visiting tall ships from noon to 7 p.m. Tours allow guests to board the vessels of their choosing (each ship requires a separate tour ticket) to get a first-hand look at how the ships were crafted, how they function, and how their crews live and work. VIP Early Entry tickets are also available (price: adults, $65; children 12 – 3, $50; children ages 2 and under, free), allowing guests to beat the crowds and tour the ships with fewer people and more time to explore. Early Entry tickets provide access to ship tours between 11 a.m. and noon (for one day) prior to general boarding. These tickets also include non-timed entry on all touring ships from noon – 5 p.m. (on the same day of purchase) and admission to the Waterfront Festival and Independence Seaport Museum.

Touring Ships:
- Oliver Hazard Perry – named after a hero of the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry is the first ocean-going full-rigged ship to be built in the US in 110 years. She resides in Newport, Rhode Island.
- Sagres – sailing in from Lisbon, Sagres is one of the international ships attending the festival as well as one of the largest vessels in the festival.
- Gazela – the Gazela is right at home in Philadelphia. Gazela has represented her city since 1971 by sailing as a goodwill ambassador (and even starring in a few movies).
- Spirit of Bermuda – as her name suggests, The Spirit of Bermuda will be sailing to Philadelphia from the Caribbean. She’s a Bermudian training ship modeled after the schooners constructed on the island during the 19th century.
- Lynx – Sailing from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Lynx is a topsail schooner modeled after a naval schooner from the War of 1812. The original Lynx was an armed “letter of marque” clipper, commissioned during the opening days of the war.
- Kalmar Nyckel – the tall ship of Delaware, Kalmar Nyckel is a re-creation of a 17th-century Dutch Pinnace which served as an armed merchant ship, a Swedish naval vessel, and as the colonial ship that founded New Sweden (present-day Wilmington, Delaware – her home port).

Sail Away Cruises
May 25 – May 28
Price: $90 for Day Sails, $125 for Twilight Sails

Sail Aways provide the most immersive experience aboard five of the magnificent tall ships. Guests are offered a cruise along the Delaware River and can choose between a Day Sail (90 minutes) or Twilight Sail (120 minutes), which includes a complimentary glass of wine and snacks. Day Sails are $90 per person and Twilight Sails are $125 per person. Each Sail Away ticket also includes admission to the Waterfront Festival and Independence Seaport Museum. Sail Away tickets are also available for the Parade of Sail, offering guests an exclusive three-hour experience on the water complete with VIP views of the arriving ships and a chance to participate in the event. Parade of Sail tickets are $150 per person.

Sail Away Ships:
- AJ Meerwald – New Jersey’s official tall ship, docked in Gloucester City, New Jersey.
- Northwind – as a school ship, Northwind (docked in Gloucester City, New Jersey) provides underserved students with an education outside of the traditional classroom setting.
- America 2.0 – Scarano Boat Building incorporated decades of experience when building America 2.0, creating the sleek and beautiful ship en route to Sail Philadelphia from New York City.
- When and If – commissioned in 1939, When and If is sailing around the world from her home port in Gloucester, Rhode Island.
- Thomas E. Lannon – the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon was built in 1997 in Essex, Massachusetts. She is a family owned and operated vessel that focuses on keeping the history of schooners and the Gloucester fishing industry alive.

Spend Memorial Day Weekend in Philadelphia for five days of waterfront festivities, ship tours, and sailing excursions. Sail Philadelphia festivities will take place rain or shine. Don’t miss the opportunity to view these majestic ships and create your own sailing adventure. Visit www.sailphiladelphia.org for complete details and festival tickets. Begin planning your Sail Philadelphia experience and follow along on social media at #SailPhilly.

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About the Sail Philadelphia Partners

Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) is a 501(c)(3) created in January 2009, exclusively for the benefit of the City of Philadelphia and its citizens. The fundamental purpose of DRWC is to design, develop, program and maintain public amenities such as permanent and seasonal parks, trails, and streetscape improvements to transform the waterfront into a vibrant destination for recreational, cultural, and commercial activities for the residents and visitors of Philadelphia as is consistent with the goals of the Master Plan for the Central Delaware. Daily programming throughout the entire year is changing the way Philadelphians see and converse about the waterfront, and is helping to create spaces and communities that connect residents and visitors to the waterfront.

Independence Seaport Museum deepens the understanding, appreciation, and experience of the Philadelphia region’s waterways through history, art, science, and connecting with communities. With National Historic Landmark ships Cruiser Olympia and Submarine Becuna, a boatbuilding workshop, small boat rentals, hands-on exhibits, a Citizen Science Lab, one of the largest maritime art and artifact collections in North America and more, the Museum is the premier, year-round destination on the Penn’s Landing waterfront. Visit daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and see our full schedule of programs and events at phillyseaport.org.

Tall Ships America is a nonprofit educational membership organization, with diverse vessel and program members, each dedicated to providing hands-on experience and training in seafaring skills and the nautical sciences, and is recognized by Congress as the national sail training organization representing the United States; and North American Marine Environment Protection Association (hereinafter NAMEPA), a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and qualified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States. Visit us at: www.sailtraining.org

Media Contact:
Crystal Hayes Casazza
Crystal@enroutemarketing.com
215.867.8060

Source: Sail Philadelphia