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250th Sail4th Festival Showcases 50 Warships, 80 Tall Ships

7/3/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The Sail4th 250 festival adds a July 4 “Fleet Week” and a multi-time-zone Times Square ball drop for the 250th anniversary.
More than 50 U.S. and allied warships will anchor in the Hudson River for the International Naval Review.
About 80 tall ships and gray-hull vessels will carry roughly 20,000 sailors in the parade.
Around 150 aircraft from the Netherlands, Uruguay, Indonesia, Monaco and Colombia will fly over the harbor.

History

Historical Context

In October 1909 New York staged the Hudson–Fulton Celebration, honoring Henry Hudson’s river discovery and Robert Fulton’s steamboat breakthrough. The commission, led by figures such as J.P. Morgan, organized a naval parade of more than 150 vessels—including U.S. warships, foreign tall ships and the RMS Lusitania—and featured Wilbur Wright’s historic flights over the Hudson.

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Story summary

The Sail4th 250 festival adds a July 4 “Fleet Week” and a multi-time-zone Times Square ball drop for the 250th anniversary.
More than 50 U.S. and allied warships will anchor in the Hudson River for the International Naval Review.
About 80 tall ships and gray-hull vessels will carry roughly 20,000 sailors in the parade.
Around 150 aircraft from the Netherlands, Uruguay, Indonesia, Monaco and Colombia will fly over the harbor.

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