Tall Ships St Pete – A festival in Downtown St Petersburg

Published on 03/28/23: Keep the “Tall Ships St Pete” festival in mind from this Thursday – Sunday! For the first time in 20 years, St Pete is a port for this annual event. We’re actually the first stop, as the ships then head to Galveston and Pensacola!

Tall Ships St Pete Tickets

Note, for any options below that require tickets, simply visit TallShipsStPete.com to purchase.

Free Tall Ships Activity

The first FREE activity of the festival is this Thursday, when the ships arrive into Downtown St. Pete via a “ceremonial parade of sail”. You can view this for free along the St. Pete Pier and at Demens Landing Park between approximately 3:00 – 5:30pm, per website.

Tall Ship Options in St Pete

While the parade is free to watch as above, alternatively, a handful of $175 tickets remain for “a private, exclusive viewing area, light hors d’oeuvres, 2 cocktails, soda + VIP unlimited admission to Tall Ships® St. Pete.”

The ships are available for viewing from a distance all weekend, however consider purchasing tickets to the festival itself for closer viewing and access to vendors. Some tickets even offer the opportunity to climb aboard! For between $9.95 – $21.95 (child/adult), you can purchase a time slot for general admission and “On-Deck Tours”. As of today, there are time slots available for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

Tall Ship Festival Ultimate Ticket

The “Ultimate Ticket” for the entire weekend is also available for $125, providing the following: 3 Day Unlimited General Admission + On-Deck Tours from Friday – Sunday: 10am-6pm, hospitality tent access, and a “Fast Pass to Get front of the line access to board the Tall Ships.

Festival Sponsored by Tall Ships America and City of St Pete

The festival is brought to us by Tall Ships America and the City of St Pete. Tall Ships America is a non-profit “commended by Congress as The National Sail Training Organization representing the United States. We support and promote the ships, people, and programs of sail training and the tall ships…”.

For more details and additional ticket options, simply visit TallShipsStPete.com. There are various options ranging from $9.95/person to $295+/person.

Parking:

Handicap and general parking is available at the following parking garages and lots with shuttle stops/loops.

South Core Parking Garage
East side of 2nd St just south of Central Ave (Baseball Shuttle stop location)

Sundial Parking Garage
West side of 1st St between the garage and the St. Pete Chamber of commerce building

USF St. Pete Parking Garage
North side of 6th Ave S + 3rd St S (no shuttle stop)

Handicap Parking
USF lots 2 & 5
South side of 6th Ave S, between 3rd St and 1st st SE.

Overflow handicap parking
Albert Whitted Park
Handicap shuttle will run on a continuous loop to accommodate guests with mobility issues.

“Attendees are highly encouraged to take advantage of the PSTA downtown trolley looper and other public transportation. Visit the PSTA website for schedule and routes.”

Tall Ships Wheelchair Accessibility

Wheelchair Accessibility Info: “These historic vessels were not designed to be wheelchair accessible. The gangways and ship decks may be very narrow or steep and will not accommodate a modern wheelchair. We do invite wheelchair guests to enjoy the ships from the dockside and through stories told by crew members and Captain’s chats. The schedule for these discussions will be posted closer to the event.”

Few details on some of the ships partaking in the festival!

Elissa
Homeport: Galveston, Tx
Rig: Barque
Sparred Length: 162
LOD: 152
Draft: 10’6″
Beam: 28′
Tons: 431
Hull: iron
1877 square-rigged iron barque

Ernestina-Morrissey
Homeport: New Bedford, MA
Rig: Schooner: Grand Banks Fishing Schooner
Sparred Length: 156′
LOD: 110′
Draft: 13′
Beam: 24′ 3
Rig Height: 115′
Sail Area: 8,323
Tons: 139 GRT
Hull: Wood

Glenn L. Swetman
Homeport: Biloxi, MS
Rig: Schooner
Sparred Length: 68′
Draft: 5′
Beam: 17′
Rig Height: 57′
Freeboard: 3’9″
Tons: 21
Hull: Wood

Jolly II Rover
Homeport: Key West, FL
Rig: Schooner
Sparred Length: 80ft
Draft: 6
Beam: 15.6ft
Rig Height: 62 ft
Freeboard: 4’3″ft
Tons: 34
Hull: steel

NAO Trinidad
Homeport: Huelva, Spain
Rig: Barque
Sparred Length: 28.30m // 84.9ft

Pride of Baltimore II
Homeport: Baltimore, MD
Rig: Other: Square-Topsail Schooner
Sparred Length: 157′
LOA: 105′
LOD: 100′
LWL: 91′
Draft: 12′ 6
Beam: 26′ 4
Rig Height: 107′
Freeboard: 4′ 4
Sail Area: 9,018

Suncoast Horizon
Homeport: Saint Petersburg, FL
Rig: Schooner
Sparred Length: 55′
Draft: 4’3″
Beam: 12′
Rig Height: 47′
Freeboard: 4′
Sail Area: 750ft/sq
Tons: 19
Hull: Steel

When and If
Homeport: Key West, FL
Rig: Schooner
Sparred Length: 83′
Draft: 9′
Beam: 15′
Sail Area: 170 sq/ft
Hull: wood

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Photo credit to Tall Ships St Pete / Tall Ships America