For sailors

Welcome to enjoy the summer’s greatest sailing event!

The Tall Ships Races Helsinki 2024 will dock in Helsinki from July 4th to July 7th, 2024.

The event area covers the city center including South Harbor, Market Square, Katajanokka, Kanavaranta, and North Quay.

The event will bring changes both to traffic arrangements and navigation on the waters. Some ships may arrive as early as July 2nd-3rd, and all participating ships must be in port no later than 12:00 PM on July 4th. Event setup will take place between July 1st-3rd.

Please note the following when boating:

During the event, South and North Harbors will be congested, especially during ship arrivals and departures. We kindly request recreational boating to be avoided in the area. There will be heavy waterbus traffic in South Harbor basin, and tugboats will operate to assist large sailboats during the event. Vironallas and Katajanokka guest marina MarinaBay will be closed to the public from July 1st to July 7th. Other guest marinas in Helsinki can be found listed here. For safety reasons, organizers may temporarily restrict recreational boating in the harbor area when Tall Ships Races vessels are operating. Parade of Sails on Sunday, July 7th, 2024

The Parade of Sails will take place on Sunday, July 7th, approximately between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Sailboats departing from South and North Harbors will form the parade near the tip of Katajanokka, proceed past Lonnan towards Kustaanmiekka and then towards Harmaja. For safety, the parade route will be closed to other traffic from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM (until the parade concludes), and there will be a temporary speed limit of 10 km/h in Kruunuvuorenselkä during this time. Other boaters should keep navigation channels clear and maintain a safe distance from sailboats when observing the parade. Map of restricted area and speed limit area here.

The parade can also be viewed from land, for example from the event area or the tip of Katajanokka, and to a limited extent from Suomenlinna and Vallisaari. For the most current information on viewing areas on land and at sea, as well as a map of the parade route, please visit the event’s website.

Note: The Parade of Sails is subject to weather conditions. If the wind increases or the weather becomes unstable, the parade may be canceled, in which case ships will depart from Helsinki individually as weather permits.

Parade of sails route:

Following the Parade of Sails at Suomenlinna and Vallisaari:

At Suomenlinna, you can observe the Parade of Sails from Iso Mustasaari’s Coastal Path, starting from the ferry pier towards the maintenance beach on the sandy road. The Coastal Path serves as one of Suomenlinna’s maintenance and emergency routes, so please ensure vehicles have access along the route. There are no access controls on the Coastal Path. Other areas of Iso Mustasaari are restricted due to official activities related to the parade.

Along Kustaanmiekka Strait, the only areas where you can watch the parade are the sandy paths leading to Sukellusvene Vesikko on the southern shore of Tykistölahti, and the sandy paths near Kuninkaanportti and the nearby water pier area. However, parts of the southern areas of Kustaanmiekka are closed this summer due to erosion repairs, changes in access control, and the addition of access control barriers. Vegetation surfaces within the fortress structure need to recover throughout the 2024 growing season, necessitating the closure of extensive areas in the southern part of Kustaanmiekka.

Pikku Mustasaari is restricted due to official activities and is fenced off. Länsi-Musta is a residential area and not ideal for viewing the parade due to its location and lack of visitor services. There are no visitor services on either island. The bridge leading to the islands is a maintenance and emergency route, so observing the parade from these areas is not recommended.

Since suitable locations for safely and responsibly viewing the parade within the Suomenlinna World Heritage Site are limited this time, we warmly recommend visiting Lonna and Vallisaari, which also offer excellent views.

In Vallisaari, near Kustaanmiekka, there is a small viewing spot that can accommodate a limited number of spectators. Adjacent cliffs are accessible (no restricted access areas). Aleksanterin Battery in Vallisaari has a viewing platform with magnificent views of Helsinki and the open sea, although views towards Kustaanmiekka are quite distant. Nonetheless, Vallisaari is a great place to watch the passing ships.

To reach Vallisaari and Lonna, you can take a waterbus. It’s advisable to book waterbus tickets and secure a place near the services well in advance: Vallisaari Waterbus and Suomenlinna Waterbus.

For more information:
harbourmaster@eventshelsinki.fi