As the nation celebrates Memorial Day, with July 4th not too far behind, the United States Navy has a full lineup of festivities to celebrate America 250.
The tradition of U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard ships docking together to celebrate started in the 1890s, following the Spanish-American War.
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By 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded the celebration to the West Coast, where thousands of officers and hundreds of ships and aircraft descended on San Diego. The traditional Fleet Week began in New York City in 1982.
That tradition has now spread across the nation. Ahead of July 4th, the U.S. Navy is starting the Sail250 event that coincides with Fleet Week festivities across the country. Here are upcoming events ahead of Independence Day:
Kicking off on May 22, the 10th Annual Los Angeles Fleet Week runs through Memorial Day weekend.
Along with Battleship IOWA, the port will be home to more than 90 military and first responder exhibits, culinary and singing competitions, sports tournaments, aircraft flyovers and demonstrations and other live entertainment.
Free tours of active duty military ships, including U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Naval vessels, will be held throughout the weekend.
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Kicking off the Sail250 event will be New Orleans.
The Big Easy will welcome a nationwide celebration for America's 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence. The gathering of ships includes tall ships, sailing vessels and modern military ships.
Festivities kick off May 27 and run through June 1 along the Mississippi River, with ships expected to arrive on May 28.
Like Los Angeles, public ship tours will be available throughout the weekend, with a firework show, sports day and cook-off scheduled along the way.
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The second stop along the Sail250 route is Norfolk, Virginia.
Beginning on June 19, 10,000 officers, cadets and crews of more than 60 ships will anchor in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Live music, family activities and even World Cup viewing parties will line the city of Norfolk.
Tours will be available for the tall ships and vessels in the area.
Some ships will be located in affiliated harbors, including Cape Charles, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.
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The Old Line State joins in the festivities beginning June 24 with Sail250 Maryland taking place in Baltimore along with an airshow.
Taking place at Baltimore's Inner Harbor and lasting through June 30, the event will feature U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, Navy Blue Angels, flyovers and festivals.
Along with the Inner Harbor Festival, the Fells Point Festival will host tall ships and Navy Vessels, while the Baltimore Peninsula Festival will host airshows and other events. Both festivals begin June 26.
For the first time since it started in 1982, the traditional New York Fleet Week has been moved from Memorial Day weekend. It will now begin on the eve of Independence Day on July 3.
Ships will cover the New York and New Jersey Harbor, with Class B tall ships kicking off the festivities with a sail from Hell Gate Bridge in Queens to Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn.
Throughout the week, spectators can view the magnificent ships from areas all around New York City.
On July 4, spectators can book a trip to Governor's Island to view the Parade of Sail, or they can view the massive formation of U.S. and International fixed and rotary wing aircraft parading over the Verrazzano Bridge being led by the Blue Angels.
Free visitations of tall ships and sightseeing cruises will be available for spectators throughout the week until July 8.
New York will wrap up pre-up July 4th Sail250 festivities, with SailBoston wrapping up the event from July 11–16.
The post Celebrating America: The list of Fleet Week and Sail250 festivities around the nation ahead of July 4 appeared first on Fox Weather
