Tall Ships Erie Returns for 2025

Patrick Grab - 814 Photo

Welcoming in the Parade of Sails as the 2025 Tall Ships Festival gets underway, the Flagship Niagara League encourages visitors to explore the historic tall ships at port in Erie for this educational and fun weekend on the water.

BEGINNING THURSDAY, AUG. 21

Setting sail and returning to the bayfront in August, Tall Ships Erie 2025 gives visitors a unique nautical experience. Featuring historic ships from across the country, the Tall Ships festival has been a central event in Erie for nearly 30 years while serving as the biggest yearly fundraiser for the Flagship Niagara League and the Lettie G. Howard. More than just maritime history, it serves as a celebration of the history of Erie and the Great Lakes.

"The tall ships carried commerce and development going into the other ports of the Great Lakes," Rebecca Grimaldi, co-chair and director of development of the Flagship Niagara League said. "Often, Erie thinks of the Niagara first, but there's this whole other history of tall ships. [The festival] started this awareness in the Erie community that our maritime history has an[other] excellent chapter."

Fleet Captain William Sabatini, executive director of the Flagship Niagara League, serves as one of the vice chairs of Tall Ships America. "The Great Lakes have been a big part of [the festival]. Hosting ports across the Great Lakes would coordinate with Tall Ships America for ships to go to certain regions of the country. We wanted to highlight Erie as a maritime city. "

The ships featured in this year's festival include Erie's own Lettie G. Howard, Appledoor IV, When & If, Empire Sandy, Pride of Baltimore II, Liberty Clipper, and Ernestina-Morrissey.

Hundreds of volunteers assist with the experience, from providing interpretation to helping visitors in line waiting to board the vessels. Ensuring the safety of the event is a priority, with a focus on pedestrian access through collaboration with PennDOT and the City of Erie, and a steady flow of updated information through the Tall Ships website and VisitErie. Shuttles will be running throughout the weekend. In addition to live entertainment and a giant rubber duck, Tall Ships Erie will feature a Kids Zone for families, with multiple activities including lecture series and traditional maritime films in the Bayfront Convention Center.

As the festival approaches, Captain Sabatini describes the message this sends to Erie locals and beyond, "Having the tall ships come to your town, it's like rolling the space shuttle right down State Street. The opportunity to see ships like this doesn't happen often. This festival is for you. It means a lot, so we can continue to bring this event back to Erie every three years. The more support we get now, the more we can do in the future." 

Parade of Sails begins Thursday, Aug. 21 at 4 p.m., Festival grounds are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday // Dobbins Landing and Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier // Tickets starting at $12 // For tickets and info: tallshipserie.org