This is updated from my first post in April; there will be more updates to come, since the city has not fully settled on viewing areas for any of the below activities. Stay tuned.

July 4th is a week from Saturday in case you haven’t glanced at your calendar. Sunset is at 8:30. (In 1776 it was at 7:30, so I guess that was pre daylight savings!)

MACY’S FIREWORKS
The Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks are as of yesterday expanded with two barges each near the Brooklyn Bridge and near the Seaport; they have also branded the usual Jersey City fireworks, which launch from barges across the river from Pier 25. The show is scheduled for 9:25 to 10p.

Macy’s and the city will have its viewing areas along the FDR open as of 6p.  See the info on that here. The city is also releasing tickets to viewing areas at the Seaport through a lottery. The lottery closes on June 29. Sign up here.

Tribecan Telly Hatzigeorgiou runs a super fun viewing program at the Downtown Skyport at 6 East River Piers — I did that last year and it was just right — easy viewing, not crowded, good access to food and drink (and bathrooms). Tickets are $220. See that information here.

The Grand Banks is hosting folks on the boat; one seat is $500. See that info here.

The South Street Seaport Museum is hosting people on the Schooner Pioneer for $1000 — there are only 30 spots. They are also hosting folks on Pier 16 starting at 6:30. Tickets are $125, $225 or $700 — depending on where you are on the pier. Food and drinks will be available for purchase throughout the pier from Cobble Fish. Get tickets here. 

SAIL4TH 250
For those of you who remember OpSail in 1976, this is the same idea. Billed as the largest international maritime gathering in modern American history, the event will feature 60 international tall ships from more than 20 nations, 40+ allied and U.S. naval vessels, a British aircraft carrier, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, and over 100 aircraft led by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

The seven-day celebration, running from July 3 to 9, is intended to surpass all previous Operation Sail events (1964, 1976, 1986, 1992, 2000, 2012) in scale and scope. They are expecting 8 million spectators. You can track the ships in real time on this map.

Hudson River Park will be the place to check it out. See the viewing spots here.

Here’s the schedule:

July 3
Parade of 25 Class B Tall Ships sailing down the East River from Long Island Sound to anchorages in Gravesend Bay (off Brooklyn), ending at the Statue of Liberty; Class A Tall Ships start to arrive in New York Harbor.

July 4
The International Naval Review (INR 250) will kick off at around 7:30 a.m. when a single U.S. Navy vessel will transit from the GW Bridge down the Hudson River, recognizing the 42 U.S. and allied naval vessels at anchor spanning the river southward.

The International Parade of Sail begins at 9:30 a.m. as 48 tall ships — Class A vessels ranging from 160 to 370 feet, joined by the Class B fleet — sail from under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. The passage takes approximately 2.5 hours at any fixed point, with six-minute intervals between ships.

The International Aerial Review, with nearly 200 aircraft led by the Blue Angels, overflies the parade starting at around 10:15 a.m.

July 5-8
Free public access to international tall ships berthed at multiple locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey. (Stepping aboard is equivalent to stepping on foreign soil — though no passport required.)
Food festivals and cultural events throughout the region
A planned exhibition of rare 18th-century historical documents
July 6: NYC “Homecoming of Heroes” NYC-hosted ticker tape parade honoring post-9/11 combat veterans and first responders

July 9
Class A Tall Ships depart to Boston and they will eventually make it to New Orleans, Norfolk and Baltimore.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
President John F. Kennedy was a key supporter of Operation Sail, the predecessor organization to Sail4th 250. In 1961, he officially endorsed the non-profit OpSail, Inc. to “promote international friendship, maritime heritage, and support for sail training through spectacular gatherings of the world’s tall ships.” Kennedy’s deep love for sailing and belief in its power to unite nations positioned him as the visionary behind the inaugural event, even though he was assassinated before he could see it come to fruition.