Overview
- The parade began on Saturday, July 4, when more than 40 tall ships from over 20 countries sailed from the Sandy Hook/Verrazzano area at about 9:30 a.m. and proceeded up the Hudson toward the George Washington Bridge.
- The U.S. Navy is holding an overlapping International Naval Review with named warships expected in the Hudson including USS Arlington, USS Kearsarge, USS Iwo Jima, USS Farragut, USS Nitze and USS Jason Dunham.
- The NYPD Harbor Unit is running a yearlong security plan on the water that includes scuba dives, randomized sonar scans, waterfront checkpoints, bag checks and magnetometers, and a personal watercraft ban.
- Many tall ships will stay docked for several days for public tours that are free but reservation-recommended, while some viewing areas such as Governors Island require paid tickets and have limited capacity.
- Organizers project millions of visitors and billions in local impact, and city transit and waterfront controls are in effect to manage crowding, which could affect ferry service, park access and neighborhood streets through the multi-day program.