Maritime festivals
Spreading our message
Every year we participate in an average of 9 Maritime Festivals or Tall Ships Festivals. These celebrations gather a number of ships like Atyla (from 3 to almost 100), and many visitors (from several thousand to over a million).
During these festivals, people can visit the ship and walk around the deck, where they can see several information signs about life skills and how we use challenges to promote them.
As part of the visit we sometimes also show a short video showing the ship “in action” during the sailing adventures.
The experience for participants
Joining one of these festivals as part of your trip on Atyla is truly unforgettable: Apart from enjoying all the public activities (like free open-air concerts), you get to join the activities for crews. Here are some of the activities and perks “for crews only” often included in festivals:
- The Crew Parade: With the crews of all the ships.
- The Crew Party: Exclusive for the crews, it normally includes dinner and some drinks.
- Sports (tug of war, obstacle races, volleyball, football…)
- Cultural activities (free or discounted access to museums, etc.)
- Sightseeing activities (free or discounted city tours, hikes, etc.)
- Free or discounted use of public transport.
Last but not least, you also get to visit the other ships as “crew member of Atyla”, and mingle with their crews.
Sailing parades
The main highlight in most of these festivals is the “sailing parade”: All the ships come out of the port at the same time, creating an amazing spectacle for the thousands that gather to see it. Some festivals even organise two parades, one on the arrival of the ships and another on their way out.
As a participant on Atyla, you can be on board during these parades (the description of each trip mentions if it’s included), and you might even get the opportunity to experience it from up on the masts!
Some festivals we’ve been (or will be) at:
- The Tall Ships Races (yearly / 1.5 million visitors)
- Tall Ships Regattas (yearly / 0.6 million visitors)
- Sail Amsterdam (every 5 years / 3 million visitors)
- Sail Bremerhaven (every 5 years / 1.2 million visitors)
- L’Armada Rouen (every 6 years / 7 million visitors)
- Fêtes Maritimes Brest (every 5 years / 0.7 million visitors)
- Bordeaux Fête le Vin (yearly / 0.8 million visitors)
- Transatlantic Tall Ships Regatta organised by STI (every ~8 years / 2.5 million visitors)
- Kieler Woche (yearly / 3 million visitors)
- Plymouth Pirate Festival (yearly / 30 thousand visitors)
- Delfsail (every 5 years / 0.8 million visitors)
- Semaine du Golfe (every 2 years / 1.8 million visitors)