ANNIVERSARY 'SAIL'
Ship parade for America's 250th
She doesn’t look a day over 249. The US will ring in its upcoming 250th birthday — or semiquin centennial — with a massive international parade of tall sailing ships in New York Harbor on July 4, 2026, officials announced.
The event, which will be a throwback to similar ship parades in 1976 and 2000, is expected to attract more than 6 million visitors to the region and be a symbol of America’s preeminent place in the world.
“This will be an extraordinary display of pride and international goodwill, set against the backdrop of what is arguably the most iconic symbol of our American Ideals,” NJ Gov. Phil Murphy said in a joint press release with other local leaders.
The Sail4th 250 flotilla will be made up of ships representing several nations — and will also mark a major time in the tri-state area, as it will come a day before a World Cup semifinal match on July 5th at MetLife Stadium.
‘Goodwill missions’
“It’s been a long time in the making,” Sail4th 250 President Chris O’Brien told The Post Tuesday.
The plans are the result of four years of work, with over two years still to go before at least 30 tall ships from around the world descend on the country’s most famous port.
“Their primary mission is diplomatic, goodwill missions, showing the flags from their nations,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien — who started his career with the US Coast Guard in 1991 — emphasized the symbolic importance of having the 18th and 19th century-style vessels parade through the harbor in more high-tech times.
“There will be off-shore wind farm under construction nearby, you’ll have the juxtaposition of the height of wind technology from 1800 versus wind power today,” he told The Post. “We’ll be looking back, and then looking forward.”
‘We’re looking back’
Despite its tongue-twister name, these miqu in centennial is expected to draw even more visitors than 1976’s bicentennial.
“These events are kind of like magic button events,” O’Brien said.
After the ships process by, they will be docked for a few days to allow visitors to board and meet sailors from around the world.
As for why New York is the ideal host for such a large-scale event, O’Brien said that the Big Apple was a no-brainer.
“New York was the engine that drove the success of the nation, in terms of commerce and industry,” he noted, citing a speech from South Street Seaport Museum CEO and Sail4th 250 board member Jonathan Boulware.
“[Without] New York, we would not have America, we would not have developed the way we are,” he said, noting that “America was built on the backs of tall ships.”
O’Brien and the event’s planners envision the 250th as a chance to cap off a turbulent decade defined by political upheaval and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re looking back, we’re reflecting,” he told The Post.