Overview
- The Windjammerparade moved through the Kieler Förde on Saturday with more than 100 vessels led by the three‑masted Thor Heyerdahl and an estimated 700–800 boats on the water.
- Organizers said roughly 185,000 people watched the parade from the shore and Kieler Woche finished on Sunday with about three million visitors over ten days.
- Weak wind slowed the procession to about four knots and forced some skippers to use engines at times, while the city warned of highs near 36°C and advised hydration and sunscreen.
- Emergency services reported 166 people taken to hospital and provided over 1,400 instances of medical assistance, and police recorded 283 offenses across the festival.
- The event mixed tradition and diplomacy with around 50 tall ships, naval visits and livestream coverage, while the German Navy training ship Gorch Fock was absent on a voyage to New York for U.S. 250th Independence Day events.