Prepare for sail of the century!
THE Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta will link a trio of vibrant port cities – Liverpool, Dublin and Bordeaux – with some nail-biting racing across the Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay over the Bank Holiday weekend, May 25-28.
The magnificent masted ships will create a stunning sight as they make their way up river to start the hotly-contested Regatta from Liverpool’s Unesco World Heritage waterfront.
This is the fifth time Liverpool has hosted these evocative historic craft in the past three decades, and during Capital of Culture year an estimated one million people packed the banks of the river to catch a glimpse of the Parade of Sail.
The city will be transformed into three cultural festivals – Liverpool Festival in the city centre, Irish Festival at the Albert Dock and French Festival at the Pier Head – each with their own unique atmosphere and cultural experience.
Expect spectacular performances, unique entertainment, street animation and live music, as Liverpool waterfront is transformed.
So, ready your sea legs and follow the fleet to Liverpool for four memorable and uplifting days of maritime magic.
Their are 16 boats on show this year, including world race winners, the Sea Cadet flagship TS Royalist and the Bulgarian barquentine, Royal Helena.
The Albert Dock will play the role of Dublin, Liverpool’s closest cousin of the sea.
There’ll be a rich cultural programme taking place throughout the Albert Dock from the Dr Martin Luther King Jr building – starring as an Irish pavilion – to a takeover of a historic ship, featuring traditional Irish food and drink and the sounds of musicians from either side of the Irish Sea.
There will be artistic commissions, exhibited on the dock that have been created especially for the Tall Ships Regatta. Look out for Faith Bebbington’s giant tabby, Ships Cat, and the Super Rat.
Visitors will be dazzled by the Rising Sun installation that comes to life as the real sun sets.
For more information about The Tall Ships Festival, go to www.cultureliverpool. co. uk/ three- festivals- tall-shipsregatta/
For more information about the Bordeaux Wine Festival and to buy tickets, go to www.bwfliverpool.com/about/