YORKTOWN – Thousands lined Main Street and the waterfront Friday as Historic Yorktown launched the three-day Sail Yorktown Festival with the Parade of Sail, ushering in a weekend of tall ships, military vessels, entertainment and maritime-themed activities
Crowds packed Riverwalk Landing and nearby areas to watch the vessels enter Yorktown ahead of the opening ceremony.
“This is an incredible moment for Yorktown. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Homer Lanier, director of visitor experience for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
Following the parade, visitors explored a vendor village, visited a wine and beer garden and took advantage of free deck tours aboard visiting vessels. Friday’s events conclude with a concert by the Tiki Bar Band from 6:30 p.m. at the Riverwalk Landing stage.
Saturday’s festivities highlight Revolutionary-era history and maritime traditions, featuring artillery firings, military drills, “Revolution on Main,” the Maritime Throwdown, and evening performances by country artist Karissa Ella, Broadway star Lexi Lawson and the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra.
Sunday continues with workboat exhibits, blacksmithing, pottery-making, living history programs, the VA250 Mobile Museum, cannon demonstrations and exhibits at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. The festival closes with a performance by the Williamsburg Classic Swing Orchestra from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Victory Monument.
“Yorktown is more than a historic port. It’s a living maritime community shaped by the river, the tide, and the stories that have unfolded along the shoreline for centuries,” said Captain Peggy Britton of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Featured vessels include Jamestown Settlement’s Godspeed, a replica of the merchant ship that brought English settlers to Virginia in 1607; Luna, a replica 18th-century colonial sloop operated by the Colonial Seaport Foundation; Alliance II, Yorktown’s homeported schooner; and Serenity, a two-masted schooner based at Riverwalk Landing Piers.
“May this weekend strengthen the community and may Yorktown continue to stand as a symbol of resilience, freedom and possibility,” said Chairman of York County Board of Supervisors Douglas Holroyd during the opening ceremony.
Sail Yorktown Festival continues through Sunday, June 14, throughout Historic Yorktown and along the waterfront.
