Not just because of the promise of some summer sun and sparkling blue waters, residents of Cornwall and visitors to the county are expected to flock to the vibrant harbour town across four days in August to catch a glimpse of some fantastic vessels with the return of the Falmouth Tall Ships Race.
The not-for-profit Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID) and Falmouth Town Council, with proactive support from partners and sponsors are excited to be bringing the Tall Ships back to the town between the 15th and 18th August once again, in what is sure to be a colourful and memorable occasion. Falmouth is the host port partner in the Magellan Elcano Tall Ships Race Series, organised by Sail Training International.
Following a successful bidding process, this year will mark the first time Falmouth has held the prestigious event since 2014. Falmouth has hosted it more than any other UK port – this will be the sixth time - and globally, only Lisbon, the capital of Portugal with seven, has held it more often.
Over the first three days, there will be a great range of activities across the town. People can expect live entertainment, a crew parade which will bring a carnival atmosphere to the town centre, an innovative evening laser display over the harbour, plus a full evening music programme. In addition, there will be a wonderful opportunity for people to board the ‘A Class’ tall ships taking part in the race.
The fourth day is the big, on-the-water spectacle known as the ‘Parade of Sail’, when the tall ships leave their berthing positions and joined by up to 2,000 local boats of all shapes and sizes, follow a route or parade, around Falmouth harbour and bay. Thousands of people seek vantage points along the stunning coastline, beaches, and headlands to catch a glimpse of the huge flotilla sailing past before the tall ships taking part in the first leg of the race, which is to A Coruna, Spain,then head further out to sea to the start line.
Richard Wilcox, Executive Director of Falmouth BID, and one of the co-leads for Tall Ships said: “We’ve got a good track record for holding events on this scale and are proud to welcome the tall ships back to our brilliant port town. To give some context on the event held in 2014, we welcomed over 100,000 visitors during the four days, which in turn helped to bring an economic boost of around £10 million for Cornwall. So, these events benefit the wider region, its business community and supply chain, and at the same time, continue to put Falmouth and Cornwall on the world stage.”
Hosting Tall Ships in Falmouth is all part of Falmouth BID and the Town Team’s aim to reinvest in the town post-Covid through a host of imaginative projects.
The award-winning team also organise a host of other high-profile annual festivals including Falmouth Week, Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, Falmouth Classics and Falmouth Oyster Festival.
“These occasions are all about bringing the community together,” Richard continued. “Tall Ships is testament to the strength of the partnerships that exist in Falmouth which enable us to deliver exciting events on this scale. The partnership for Tall Ships, for example, sees Falmouth Town Council, Falmouth BID, Perfect Events Group, John Hick and Falmouth Tall Ships Association, A&P Falmouth Docks, Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, Greenbank Hotel, Fal River, Cornwall Marine Network,Volunteer Cornwall and others, come together to facilitate delivery. Two of the many positive aspects that stand out from visitors to Falmouth, is how welcoming the place is and its strength of community spirit. Everything we try to support across the town always seeks to play to those strengths.”
There is a good balance between ticketed events and free activities over the four days of Tall Ships, with money raised from ticket sales and sponsorship going back into the pot to ensure Tall Ships and other big community events can continue in Falmouth for years to come.
Richard Gates, Town Manager for Falmouth Town Council who together with the Falmouth BID, form the nationally recognised Falmouth Town Team partnership, added: “It’s all about bringing people together and that includes volunteers, residents, and businesses, fostering a real pride of place. But it’s also important for Cornwall, again by bringing people together but also supporting the county culturally. Cornwall receives around 4-million annual visitors and around 50% are attracted by the events programme on offer here. People may be deciding where they want to go on holiday and may choose Cornwall because of its fantastic events programme. Such events also provide businesses with a vital boost, much-needed in the current climate.”
If you would like more information about Falmouth Tall Ships including a breakdown of what’s happening, visit www.falmouth.co.uk/tallships14www.falmouthlife.co.uk15
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