Overview

Overview

Green Bay once again has been awarded the honor of hosting a fleet of Tall Ships® as part of the Tall Ships Challenge®. One of only 11 ports in North America and one of 7 in the USA, the Port of Green Bay will be home to nine majestic vessels July 26-28 as part of Nicolet Bank Tall Ships®, offering a wide variety of entertainment and experiences.

Dockside touring ships allow event-goers to learn about each ship’s rich history and meet the crew. Sailing ships offer even more of an experience as they hoist their anchor and sail down the river and into the mouth of the bay. Daily programming includes a full day of entertainment that is sure to make lasting memories. In addition to sail excursions and on-board tours, this year a variety of on-board experiences will be available for purchase. — from 2019 event website.

To commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial, majestic tall ships and naval vessels from around the world are hitting the East and Gulf coasts:

  • United States Coast Guard News (.mil)
  • New Orleans, LA: May 28 – June 1
  • Virginia (Norfolk, Yorktown, & Hampton Roads): June 12 – 23
  • New York City, NY: Celebrations culminating around July 4 for the Sail4th 250 extravaganza
  • Boston, MA: July 11 – 16 for the massive Sail Boston festival
  • (Additional mid-Atlantic stops include Baltimore, MD)

To the best of our knowledge as of 28 May 2028 none of these venues have hired dedicated maritime-themed musical acts, other than, perhaps, the United States Navy Band.

Curated History

This event was originally named the Baylake Bank Tall Ships Festival until Baylake Bank merged with Nicolet Bank after 2013.

PMI, the event organizer for the Nicolet Bank Tall Ship Festival had elected to halt this event in order to focus on running events at a new Green Bay, Wisconsin convention center.  There was, later, a more modest event held by the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in 2025.