Celebrating America: The list of Fleet Week and Sail250 festivities around the nation ahead of July 4
Ahead of July 4, the U.S. Navy is starting the Sail250 event that coincides with Fleet Week festivities across the nation. Here are upcoming events ahead of Independence Day:
New York's 35th annual Fleet Week kicks off
FOX Weather's Nick Kosir was on the USS Wasp as New York's 35th annual Fleet Week kicks off.
As the nation celebrates Memorial Day, with July 4th not too far behind, the United States Navy has a full lineup of festivities to celebrate America 250.
The tradition of U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard ships docking together to celebrate started in the 1890s, following the Spanish-American War.
A person waves American Flags as the US Coast Guard passes during Fleet Week in New York Harbor on May 22, 2024.
(Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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By 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded the celebration to the West Coast, where thousands of officers and hundreds of ships and aircraft descended on San Diego. The traditional Fleet Week began in New York City in 1982.
That tradition has now spread across the nation. Ahead of July 4th, the U.S. Navy is starting the Sail250 event that coincides with Fleet Week festivities across the country. Here are upcoming events ahead of Independence Day:
Los Angeles Fleet Week
Kicking off on May 22, the 10th Annual Los Angeles Fleet Week runs through Memorial Day weekend.
Along with Battleship IOWA, the port will be home to more than 90 military and first responder exhibits, culinary and singing competitions, sports tournaments, aircraft flyovers and demonstrations and other live entertainment.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 25: Visitors board the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during Fleet Week 2024 at the Port of Los Angeles on May 25, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. The ninth annual LA Fleet Week started early morning on May 24, with hundreds ready to visit USS Carl Vinson and more throughout the day.
(Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Free tours of active duty military ships, including U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Naval vessels, will be held throughout the weekend.
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New Orleans Sail250
Kicking off the Sail250 event will be New Orleans.
The Big Easy will welcome a nationwide celebration for America's 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence. The gathering of ships includes tall ships, sailing vessels and modern military ships.
GALVESTON, TEXAS - MAY 13: The sun shines behind the masts of 1877 Tall Ship Elissa in Galveston, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. As part of Galveston 250's voyage, Elissa will make six port calls on a three-month voyage en route to Sail 250 celebrations, sharing the history of the Official Tall Ship of Texas.
(Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Festivities kick off May 27 and run through June 1 along the Mississippi River, with ships expected to arrive on May 28.
Like Los Angeles, public ship tours will be available throughout the weekend, with a firework show, sports day and cook-off scheduled along the way.
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Sail250 Virginia
The second stop along the Sail250 route is Norfolk, Virginia.
Beginning on June 19, 10,000 officers, cadets and crews of more than 60 ships will anchor in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Live music, family activities and even World Cup viewing parties will line the city of Norfolk.
GENOA, ITALY - MAY 09: The historic training ship Amerigo Vespucci departs from the port of Genoa during its official sailing ceremony on May 09, 2026, in Genoa, Italy. The Amerigo Vespucci, a historic tall ship used by the Italian navy as a training vessel, is departing Genoa on Saturday for a 156-day voyage to the United States and Canada, with 13 scheduled stops. The Amerigo Vespucci is expected to arrive in New York on July 4 to take part in the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
(Photo by Emanuela Zampa/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Tours will be available for the tall ships and vessels in the area.
Some ships will be located in affiliated harbors, including Cape Charles, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.
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Baltimore Fleet Week/Sail250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore
The Old Line State joins in the festivities beginning June 24 with Sail250 Maryland taking place in Baltimore along with an airshow.
Taking place at Baltimore's Inner Harbor and lasting through June 30, the event will feature U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, Navy Blue Angels, flyovers and festivals.
United States Navy Blue Angels perform in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 20, 2026.
(Photo by Austin DeSisto/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Along with the Inner Harbor Festival, the Fells Point Festival will host tall ships and Navy Vessels, while the Baltimore Peninsula Festival will host airshows and other events. Both festivals begin June 26.
New York City Fleet Week/Sail4th 250
For the first time since it started in 1982, the traditional New York Fleet Week has been moved from Memorial Day weekend. It will now begin on the eve of Independence Day on July 3.
Ships will cover the New York and New Jersey Harbor, with Class B tall ships kicking off the festivities with a sail from Hell Gate Bridge in Queens to Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn.
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Image 1 of 5US Sailors and Marines stand on the flight deck of the USS Bataan, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, as it passes the Statue of Liberty during Fleet Week in New York Harbor on May 24, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 2 of 5NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 22: The USS Bataan (LHD-5) sails past the Statue of Liberty as it arrives with the Parade of Ships into New York Harbor during the start of the 36th annual Fleet Week on May 22, 2024 in New York City. The ships travel past the Statue of Liberty and Battery Park in lower Manhattan before ending just below the George Washington Bridge. Fleet Week brings thousands of active service members to New York City for a week of ship tours, concerts, demonstrations and other events that give New Yorkers a close up view of the U.S. military. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Image 3 of 5The Norfolk-based USS Bataan (LHD 5) passes by the Empire State Building as it participates in Fleet Week New York's Parade of Ships May 22, 2024. The Parade of Ships is seen from SUMMIT One Vanderbilt in NYC as part of the Fleet Week Celebration events. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 4 of 5MANHATTAN, NY - MAY 24, 2023 - Royal Canadian Navy Sailors stand in attention while their HMCS Glace Bay a Kingston-class coastal defence vessel, sail past the Statue of Liberty early Wednesday, officially opening 2023 Fleet Week. (Photo by Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
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Image 5 of 5NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - MAY 24: The 35th Annual Fleet Week, a seven-day celebration honoring the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard and the Marine Corps., began in New York City, United States on May 24, 2023. Nearly 2,400 military personnel will participate in Fleet Week running until May 30. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Throughout the week, spectators can view the magnificent ships from areas all around New York City.
On July 4, spectators can book a trip to Governor's Island to view the Parade of Sail, or they can view the massive formation of U.S. and International fixed and rotary wing aircraft parading over the Verrazzano Bridge being led by the Blue Angels.
Free visitations of tall ships and sightseeing cruises will be available for spectators throughout the week until July 8.
New York will wrap up pre-up July 4th Sail250 festivities, with SailBoston wrapping up the event from July 11–16.