Every five years, Amsterdam transforms into a city of sails, and this week it finally happened again. This time, however, it came after ten years, since the 2020 edition was canceled due to the pandemic. On the first day of SAIL Amsterdam 2025, I joined thousands of people along the waterfront to witness the Sail-In Parade, that magical moment when the tall ships arrive and officially kick off the festival. With the sound of horns, canons, national anthems and the buzz of excited crowds, the IJ turned into a moving stage of history and beauty. I brought my camera, of course, and couldn’t stop clicking as ship after ship appeared on the horizon. I had the chance to see the parade from above as well, and it was AMAZING!
The ships will be in Amsterdam until Sunday at 12.00, when they will leave with a goodbye parade to IJmuiden and then to their other destinations. You can find the boats along the Veemkade and the Javakade. There is a temporary bridge connecting the two SAIL boulevards, as I like to call them.
Most of the ships can be visited, but expect long queues, especially for the most popular ones like the Shabab Oman or El Galeón.
The best things to do during SAIL Amsterdam
I’ve seen some people confused about what activities to choose from, because the schedule looks quite full and they don’t know what to do first. The best things to do during this festival are:
- Walk along the ships and hop aboard where you can. You don’t need tickets and some boats are open until 23.00
- Sail among the ships. You can do that with a personal boat if you have one, or book a ticket on one of the cruises (and there are plenty to choose from).
Other things to do during SAIL 2025:
- SAILSation (Orange Ocean, Thursday to Sunday, 09:00-21:00). Water sport competitions and demonstrations on the area along the Surinamekade.SAIL Kids Club (Orange Ocean, all SAIL days, 10:00-18:00). Kids can learn to sail under supervision or get an introduction to water sports and other activities.
- SAIL Kids Club (Orange Ocean, all SAIL days, 10:00-18:00). Kids can learn to sail under supervision or get an introduction to water sports and other activities.
- Concerts. At SAIL On Stage, on the Green Ocean, Wednesday to Saturday, a show of music and dance will close the day.
- Fireworks. Waves of Light (White Ocean, visible from all oceans, Wednesday to Saturday 22:30-22:45). A show of lights will also wrap up every day of SAIL. This is a mix of light, fireworks and visual storytelling around the A’DAM Tower. The show can be seen from all SAIL Oceans along the IJ; it lasts exactly 750 seconds (12.5 minutes), a tribute to 750 years of Amsterdam.
- The Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) will be freely accessible during those five days of the festival.
For more info about SAIL, check out my article: SAIL Amsterdam 2025: Everything You Need to Know About This Amazing Sailing Festival.
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