The parade of sail at Boston in 2017 was spectacular and I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming 2026 events, coinciding with the USA 250th anniversary.
NYC / July 3: Parade of Sail – class B ships
NYC / July 4: Parade of Sail – class A ships (30 ships)
BOS / July 11: Parade of Sail (60 total, 28 class A)
What is class A and class B?
Class A: square rigging OR overall length greater than 40 meters (131 ft)
Class B: traditional rigging AND overall length less than 40 m AND water line at least 9 m (30 ft)
Class C & D have length less than 40 m
Some ships will participate in both parades, for example USCG Eagle. Some will not; for example, I believe Virginia (Bath ME) will participate at Boston, not NYC.
July 9, class A Tall Ships travel from NYC to Boston. Some may travel through the Cape Cod Canal, while others travel around Cape Cod.
In Boston, the 2026 event will exceed the 2017 event, which included 56 ships.
New York City
The July 3 parade route passes through the East River (Manhattan to the east and Brooklyn & Queens to the west).
The July 4 parade route travels under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge.
https://sail4th.org/schedule
If you want a photo of the tallships with the Statue of Liberty in background, you probably want to be at Governor’s Island.
However, access to Governors Island will be unusually managed. Normal ferry to the island is $10 round trip but that is suspended on July 4.
For the July 4 parade of sail, tickets to Governors Island are currently selling at $200 per person.
July 4 viewing locations in Hoboken: Pier A Park, Elysian Park, Steven Park, Maxwell Place Park, Sinatra Park
July 4 viewing locations in Jersey City: Exchange Place, Liberty State Park
Boston (July 11)
Here’s a link to a map of the parade route. Public viewing areas are shown in green; Red is where ships will be berthed.