Overview
- Ships are arriving ahead of the festival and the ceremonial Parade of Sail is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, as more than 50 tall ships and military vessels enter Boston Harbor.
- Organizers published detailed operational rules on July 8 that increase MBTA service for parade day, suspend ferry runs during the parade, and set designated shuttle routes and street closures to move crowds safely.
- Security measures include multiple checkpoints across Castle Island and the Seaport, bag inspections, a list of prohibited items for secured areas, and marine patrols that will enforce 200-yard distancing rules for vessels underway.
- Many visiting ships will be open for public tours with an initial public boarding slot on Saturday evening and daily tours from Sunday through Wednesday, and fireworks are set for the parade night and July 15 at 9:15 p.m.
- Some vessels may transit the Cape Cod Canal in estimated windows on July 9 and the early hours of July 10, organizers stress those times are estimates and the U.S. Army Corps has said there is no official canal parade; the festival revives a long Boston maritime tradition and is expected to have major crowd and economic impacts on the waterfront.