PORT OF LOS ANGELES READIES THE SAILS FOR TALL SHIPS® FESTIVAL AUG. 20-24
Advanced Ticket Purchase Recommended for Five-Day LA Waterfront Event;
World’s Largest Rubber Duck to Lead the Opening Day Parade
SAN PEDRO, Calif. – August 6, 2014 – The Port of Los Angeles will host the Tall Ships® Festival along the LA Waterfront August 20-24, an event showcasing more than a dozen majestic domestic and international sailing ships. The event will start with an opening-day Grand Parade of Sail led by the world’s largest floating Rubber Duck. The event will offer a host of family-friendly activities and entertainment over its five-day run along the San Pedro portion of the LA Waterfront.
“We’re privileged to welcome back the Tall Ships, which last visited here in 2008,” said Ambassador Vilma Martinez, President of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission. “Set against the incredible backdrop of America’s Port®, the festival is an opportunity to re-introduce Southern Californians and out of area visitors to the many unique attractions and activities people can enjoy in and around the LA Waterfront.”
“From boat tours to pirate sword fights, from live music to beer and wine tasting, the Tall Ships® Festival provides a great opportunity to spend a summer day or more on the LA Waterfront.” said Craig Samborski, executive producer of the event. “The majestic Tall Ships are a spectacle not to be missed, and they don’t come here that often.”
The Port of Los Angeles will be just one of three West Coast ports to host the Tall Ships® this summer. Also included in the ship line-up will be two vessels from the Official Tall Ships of Los Angeles: The Irving Johnson and The Exy Johnson. Festival ticketholders will also be able to tour San Pedro’s historic Battleship Iowa and S.S. Lane Victory.
The Tall Ships® Festival’s Grand Parade of Sail on Aug. 20 will start at approximately 2 p.m. PST. Featured ships will sail into Los Angeles Harbor, led by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s more than six-story tall Rubber Duck.
An oversized replica of the iconic children’s bath-time companion, the giant Rubber Duck urban art installation has been featured in ports and harbors worldwide at locales that include Hong Kong, Sydney, Amsterdam, London and Azerbaijan. The Rubber Duck will be on display throughout the Festival.
The Festival will include ship tours, cannon battles, an authentic privateer encampment, real sword fights, as well as knot tying and Tall Ships sail rigging training demonstrations. Artists from CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles will also be on hand to help children create hand-made, one-of-a-kind treasures, like rubber duck hats. Live music – from country to rock – will entertain throughout event. More than 30 regional food trucks will serve up their delights at the Festival, which will also feature beer and wine tasting venues.
To avoid long ticket lines at the Festival, organizers are recommending that Festival goers purchase tickets online in advance. The price of a “Single-day Dockside Viewing Festival Pass” is $7; a Multi-day On-Board Ship Tour Pass, which includes ship boarding and tours, is $19. Children aged 4 years or younger are free, except for day sails, cannon battle sails or pirate battle sails. Tickets for these more specialized ship-related experiences can be purchased online as well.
Go to TicketFly.com or call 877-4FLY-TIX to purchase advance tickets for both the event and parking. Once purchased, event tickets are not refundable, exchangeable or transferable. Pre-paid parking must be purchased online, not at the event site.
Tall Ships® Festival LA is presented by the Port of Los Angeles and Draw Events. See other sponsors here. Tall Ships® Festival LA 2014 takes place rain or shine.