Event information
The previous Tall Ships' events in Turku
- 1996 The Cutty Sark Tall Ships’ Races
- 2003 The Cutty Sark Tall Ships’ Races
- 2009 The Tall Ships’ Races
- 2011 The Culture 2011 Regatta (a special regatta for the European capital of Culture)
- 2017 The Tall Ships Races
The tall ships are coming to Turku
The Tall Ships Races are set to be the biggest public event of summer 2021 in Finland, and is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Turku. The event is also the highlight of the 10th anniversary of Turku’s year as European Capital of Culture. The event will take place in Turku from 5 to 8 July 2021.
The Tall Ships Races are held in the Baltic Sea region approximately every four years. The host cities of the 2021 races are, in the order that they will be visited during the races: Klaipėda (Lithuania), Turku (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), Mariehamn (Åland Islands) and Szczecin (Poland). The 2021 races will be the sixth time that Turku has served as one of the host ports for the event. Turku has taken on the role of host port for the Tall Ships Races more times than any other city in the Baltic Sea region.
The events and activities of The Tall Ships Races will take place on both sides of the Aura River. The event will offer a variety of activities for people of all ages aboard several ships. The event area will have free admission. The ships can be viewed from the shores and will also be accepting visitors on board during their opening hours.
A separate The Tall Ships Races Music Festival will be held concurrently in Turku Castle Park, the concerts of which will be subject to an admission fee. Further information (in Finnish): The Tall Ships Races Music Festival.
Celebration with Tallinn in 2021
2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of the first time that Turku served as one of the host ports for The Tall Ships Races. At the same time, the year marks the 10th anniversary of Turku’s year as European Capital of Culture. 2021 is also the first year in which Tallinn is serving as one of the host ports for The Tall Ships Races. And, in fact, Turku and Tallinn are both celebrating their 10th anniversaries of serving as European Capitals of Culture in 2021.
The last time that The Tall Ships Races were held in Turku in 2017, the event attracted a total of 544,000 visitors, making it the largest sailing ship event that the city has ever organised. The target for 2021 will once again be half a million visitors.
Follow the preparations for the event
You can also find the event on social media channels and using the hashtags #tallshipsturku #tsr2021
Facebook: The Tall Ships Races Turku 2021
Instagram: @turkukaupunki
Twitter: @turkukaupunki