Brockville is pleased to once again be a part of the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes 2019 Series. This tour takes place in our region every three years and Brockville has been taking part since 2013.
The event takes place at the Brockville waterfront at Blockhouse Island Parkway, Centeen Park, and Hardy Park from Friday, August 30th to Sunday, September 1st, 2019. The grounds will open at 2pm on Friday, August 30th. We are a proud partner in the Big River Festival – click here to find out more about the other Big River events.
Tall ships, including the Bluenose II, and other watercraft line the waterfront and the harbour while entertainment and vendors will be set up on land. Admission to the grounds to see these majestic ships is available with a $5 wristband for all three days, while deck tours of the ships will be available by purchasing a Festival Passport for $15 which grants each passport holder access to each ship one time (deck tours are available on Saturday and Sunday only). The passport has details on each participating ship and will be stamped after each tour, making it a great take home souvenir from the event.
NOTE: your Festival Passport also gives you admission onto the grounds – you do not need to purchase both a passport and a general admissions wristband.
Don’t miss the Parade of Sail on Friday, August 29th starting at approximately 4pm – this is a festival favourite and the best time to take pictures of the ships at sail.
Some of the ships in attendance will be offering special day sail-outs and evening dinner cruises for an additional fee. New this year will be the option to purchase tickets to sail on tall ship the Empire Sandy during Friday’s Parade of Sail, and tickets to our Captain’s Reception event which provides the opportunity to tour the Bluenose II and one other tall ship after hours on Friday and Saturday night to live music with drinks and finger foods in Centeen Park. Tickets to those events will be limited, so be sure to check our detailed ticket information page for details. At our past events these special tickets have all sold out prior to the event, so be sure to plan ahead and purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets are now on sale, click here for details and direct purchasing links. Follow our festival facebook page for updates and notices about ticket availability.
Grounds are open:
Friday 2pm-6pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 9am-6pm
(deck tours are Saturday and Sunday only, from 9am-5pm, special ticketed events are available each evening)
Free festival parking and bus shuttles will be available from the Brockville Memorial Centre and Brockville Shopping Centre (old zellers plaza)