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Tall Ships return to Greenwich this August bank holiday

The Tall Ships Festival is returning to Woolwich Arsenal this month for a myriad of maritime fun.

Fifteen elegant Tall Ships will drop anchor in the borough for five days over the August bank holiday weekend, providing a festival atmosphere and a huge boost to local businesses and tourism.

Building on last year's success 

This month's visit from the Tall Ships is part of the ongoing Royal Greenwich Festivals programme, which includes a series of performances, events and displays at venues across the borough. Visitors can admire the ships cruising majestically along the River Thames, be wowed by fireworks every evening after dark, and wave off the fleet from Greenwich on Monday 31 August as the ships leave in an elegant parade.

Last year's Tall Ships Regatta proved to be a huge success, attracting 1.1million visitors. We are building on this success by welcoming back a fleet of Tall Ships this summer and supporting the tourism industry, which contributes £1.1billion a year to the local economy.

A day of festival events 

Saturday 29 August 2015 will see our Tall Ships Festival day take place along the Woolwich riverfront, featuring live shanty music, street theatre, historical characters and market stalls from 12pm to 10pm. Visitors will also have the chance to step on board selected Tall Ships for free as they are moored alongside the river.

Thirteen tall ships will be based at Royal Arsenal Woolwich and will make daily sails along the river to Greenwich and Tower Bridge. Residents can book tickets for the sails, during which they can see iconic landmarks on both sides of the river en route to Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and Tower Bridge.

Book Tall Ships cruise tickets (Sail Royal Greenwich website)

New Tall Ships Island boat trips 

Visitors can also experience the majestic vessels first-hand at Tall Ships Island – a feature new to this year's festival where two impressive tall ships, Dar Mlodziezy and Santa Maria Manuela, will be moored at Maritime Greenwich. Tickets are £20 for adults, £10 for children aged five to 15, with under-fives admitted free.

Ticketholders will access the vessels via a special MBNA Thames Clipper service for an hour-long tour and will get the chance to speak to cadets and to hear from guides telling stories about life at sea.

Book Tall Ships Island tickets (MBNA Thames Clippers website)

"Huge boost for local economy" 

Councillor Miranda Williams, Cabinet Member for Culture and Creative Industries, said: "I am delighted to welcome back the Tall Ships in 2015 following the huge success of last year's festival. Our stunning waterfront and historic maritime buildings provide the ideal backdrop for a large-scale event such as this. The economic benefits of our tourism industry are clear. It creates jobs, creates spend in our local businesses, and gives us a firm footing on the global stage. The return of the Tall Ships this year will provide a huge boost for our local economy with visitors enjoying events and directing their money towards local businesses."

Go to www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/tallships2015 for all the details.