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Tickets for Tall Ships® Tacoma On Sale Now!
"They’re coming – and it’s going to be quite a festival."
May 05, 2008
TACOMA – Tickets to board the tall ships when they visit Tacoma will be available to the public starting May 19. Tickets may be purchased Monday online or at the Tall Ships Tacoma Ticket Office in Freight House Square.
“They’re coming – and it’s going to be quite a festival,” said Matthew Erlich, event spokesman. “Are you going to miss out?”
Tall Ships® Tacoma 2008 will be held July 3-7 along the Foss Waterway. More than 30 historic sailing vessels - including the USCG Eagle, HMS Bounty, the Niña and The Lady Washington – have signed up for the event.
While the festival is free, tickets are required to tour a vessel or go sailing. Special viewing areas and video tours will also be available for visitors in wheelchairs.
A variety of ticket options are available:
- General Boarding Pass. Costs $10 per day and allows touring of all B and C class vessels (about 28) as well as access to a special viewing areas for the Class A vessels. Children aged 10 and younger are free when accompanied by a paying adult.
- Premium Boarding Pass. Costs $20 per day and allows touring of all vessels including the premium ships Kaisei, HMS Bounty and the Niña. Children aged 10 and younger are free when accompanied by a paying adult.
- Treasure Pass. Costs $60 for a four-day Premium Boarding Pass and allows access to all vessels. Children aged 10 and younger are free when accompanied by a paying adult.
An exception to the ticket policy is the USCG Eagle. The Eagle, which is the only active-duty sailing vessel in U.S. military service, will be open for free tours during the festival.
“Having the Eagle in Tacoma during the Fourth of July is a huge coup for Tacoma. The Eagle has not been on the west coast in almost 20 years and now this amazing ship will be in our backyard and anyone can tour it for free,” Erlich said.
Boarding passes are available for July 4-7. The ships will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to 6 .m. daily, but lines for boarding will close at 5 p.m. At any given time about 50 percent of all the ships will be available for tours.
Boarding passes are date-specific and must be exchanged for a wristband at the festival before boarding. For the Treasure Pass, one wristband will be issued that is valid for all four days.
If a sailing adventure is more to your taste, tickets are available for morning, afternoon or evening sails on 15 different ships. Sailing adventures offer a unique opportunity to experience the romance and adventure of the high seas.
Some sailing adventures include mock cannon battles with other vessels. Evening sails on July 4 will include viewing the fireworks on Commencement Bay.
Prices range from $40 -$200 per person and all passengers, including children, must have a ticket.
Discount coupons for General Boarding Passes and Premium Boarding Passes are available from all State Farm insurance agents in the Puget Sound area for Centralia to north of Everett. A complete list of State Farm offices is available on the website.
Discount coupons can be redeemed online, at the Tall Ships® Tacoma Ticket Office or at the festival.
In addition, Monday July 7 will be Military Appreciation Day. All active-duty members of the military and their families will receive 50 percent off any General Boarding Pass or Premium Boarding Pass purchased at the festival that day.
Complete details about tickets, prices and boarding regulations are available on the Tall Ships® Tacoma website.
Tickets may be ordered online or purchased at the Tall Ships® Tacoma Ticket Office at Freight House Square beginning Monday. Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The five-day Tall Ships Tacoma Festival is expected to attract more than 700,000 visitors.
The festival begins with the magnificent Parade of Sail when all 32 vessels sail from Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island to the Foss Waterway -- the best public viewing areas for this unique parade will be along Ruston Way. The parade begins at 10 a.m. on July 3 and all the vessels will have arrived in the Foss Waterway by 3 p.m.
New to the festival this year are three themed villages along Dock Street. Each village has food, entertainment, activities, vendors and guest amenities. Shuttle buses will transport visitors from village to village.
The official parking lot for Tall Ships Tacoma is at the Tacoma Dome and shuttle buses will deliver visitors to the festival grounds.
The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (ships close at 6 p.m.) on July 4-6. Hours on July 3 are noon to 8 p.m. and hours on July 7 are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
State Farm presents Tall Ships® Tacoma 2008 will be held July 3-7, 2008 … for more information, visit www.tallshipstacoma.com.
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