The Festival of Sail at LA Fleet Week Returns to the LA Waterfront
Have you ever wanted to set sail on a historic tall ship? Are you curious how they set those gigantic sails? Do you want to learn about the science behind sailing or the ocean environment? Maybe historic reenactors are more your thing or you want to sing sea shanties with some pirates… the Los Angeles Maritime Institute (LAMI) invites you to take part in all of that and more with four days of tall ship sailing fun at their annual Festival of Sail at LA Fleet Week – Friday, May 23 through Monday, May 26 – in the Downtown San Pedro Harbor.
The Festival of Sail features four TallShip sails around the LA Waterfront each day, including Cannon Battles, Waterfront Sails, and Explore the Coast Bilingual, Educational Sails. Explore the Coast is STEM-focused, so it is geared toward children 10 and older, but guests of all ages are welcome to join on all of the other sails.
Ticket prices vary for the different sails and are available in three categories – adult tickets, youth tickets for children 12 and under, and special reduced rate tickets for Veterans/Active-Duty personnel thanks to the support of the Sherry Griswold Foundation.
The Festival of Sail also includes FREE deck tours and hands-on activities for kids and adults each day between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in their TallShip Village at W 6th St and Harbor Blvd, including:
- Kid-friendly STEAM activities
- Historic Reenactors
- Sea Shanty Sing-Alongs
- Knot Tying
- Sailing History
- Unique Photo-Ops Aboard the Ships and with Pirate Characters
- Face Painting, crafts and more!
You can learn more about the Festival of Sail, see the daily sail schedule, and buy your sail tickets at lamitopsail.org/festival.
LAMI is also hosting a special VIP Sail – Fleet Week Waterside Tour on Thursday, May 22, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a view of the visiting Navy ships from the water as you sail aboard one of the Official Tall Ships of the City of Los Angeles while socializing with friends over hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Tickets are $150, and they can be purchased online in advance at lamitopsail.org/festival-vipsail.
Boarding for all sails begins approximately 30 minutes prior to the scheduled sail time, and with so many people visiting the LA Waterfront that weekend, they recommend leaving PLENTY of extra time for parking and getting to the Festival of Sail location. This will also give you time to enjoy all the activities on the LA Waterfront that weekend, including the LA Fleet Week After Party at West Harbor on Saturday and Sunday afternoon with live bands, food trucks, a beer/cocktail garden and more right next to the Festival’s TallShip Village! You can find a location map and details about parking, the free San Pedro Trolley, and the After Party at lamitopsail.org/festival.
The Los Angeles Maritime Institute (LAMI) is a San Pedro-based non-profit organization that has been providing education and adventure at sea for more than 30 years. LAMI empowers local youth to discover their greatest potential through extraordinary at-sea experiences aboard one of their tall ships – educational sailing vessels built to train and equip young people with 21st century leadership skills. They also give real-life context to subjects like science, mathematics, engineering, history and literature, and they raise awareness about the environmental impacts to our oceans and local waters through the TopSail Youth and STEM programs, public sails, private charters and their three popular Summer Camp options, which are featured in Local Anchor’s Camp Guide! You can learn more about LAMI, their programs and how you can get involved at lamitopsail.org.
