AMSTERDAM: Tall ships from around the world paraded up the North Sea Canal into Amsterdam on Wednesday, with crews from Peru, Uruguay, Germany and France waving from their decks as crowds cheered along the banks.

The spectacle launched Amsterdam’s five-day maritime festival, a celebration of ships, sailors and the city’s seafaring past that is expected to draw between 2.3 and 2.5 million visitors.

The Sail-in Parade is the most challenging moment of the festival, harbour master Milembe Mateyo said. “There’s a lot of press, there are an extreme amount of boats who want to see it, a lot of people in high places who want to be there, so that is the most (challenging),” he said.

“Once that is safely over, I can finally sleep and enjoy the rest of the festival.”

The Sail Amsterdam festival — now in its 10th edition — is part of the city’s 750th anniversary celebrations. This year, it will feature around 50 tall ships and 700 historic vessels.

Sail Amsterdam chairman Arie Jan de Waard said this year’s theme for the event was “United by Waves”, chosen in response to global tensions. “It’s important that we connect through the water and through the cultures on the ships and the crews who gather here in Amsterdam,” he said. “I think that’s very, very important.”

The parade began in IJmuiden on the North Sea coast, where the first ships passed through the giant sea locks shortly after 10:00 am before making the 25-kilometre (15.5-mile) journey inland. The flotilla, stretching around 10 kilometres, included naval training vessels, steamships, sailing heritage craft and a swarm of recreational boats that joined the procession.

Thousands of spectators lined the canal from the locks to the IJ harbour behind Amsterdam’s Central Station, where the tall ships were greeted with cannon salutes and music.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025