Tall Ships Brought Aberdeen To Life For One Unforgettable
Aberdeen harbour, streets and skies were filled with celebration, connection and stories set sail.
That passed so quickly, didn't it? Normal life is going to feel a little strange over the next few days. Almost 50 Tall Ships sailed out of Aberdeen on Monday afternoon, drawing the city’s biggest event in a generation to a close. Crowds lined the harbour, beach, Fittie and Torry to watch the Parade of Sail, as vessels from across the world left in formation, heading onwards to Kristiansand.
Across four days, organisers recorded more than 400,000 visits to the port. The numbers were impressive, but the feeling on the ground was something else entirely.
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Join Open Road for a raft of Festival of the Sea events, including The Sea Salt Shore, an evening of sea songs, shanties and storytelling from Joss Camerin, steeped in coastal tradition.
There’s also plenty for families, including a rockpooling morning at Aberdeen beach with the Countryside Ranger and magical maritime tales from storyteller Andy Cannon.
I spent most of the weekend on my feet, wandering the harbour, admiring the ships and crews, catching Calum Bowie and Tide Lines at Peterson Base, drifting through the stalls at Curated on the Quayside, and finally up in Torry to see the ships sail off. Aberdeen felt open, playful, and full of people. Not just busy, but properly alive, like the place had stretched slightly to fit everyone in.
As the ships pulled away on Monday, sails high and crews waving from the rigging, it hit me that the weekend really was over. I was standing watching when the woman standing next to me said, “It’s daft, but I feel kind of proud of them, even though I don’t know a single person on board.”
A city in motion
What made the weekend so special wasn’t one big moment, but how the whole city seemed to move around it. At the harbour families weaved through the lanes and stopped to point at masts towering above the rooftops. At the Castlegate, kids raced through the Discovery Zone. There were queues for food stalls, queues for ship tours, and queues just to get a better view.
The Crew Parade might’ve been the most joyful part of it all. Hundreds of young sailors from around the world marched through the city, laughing, waving, sharing high fives and hugs. These weren’t just ships to admire, they were lived on, worked on, and sailed into port by people who’ll likely never forget Aberdeen.
From harbour to high street
Some local businesses saw a major boost in footfall, and the city centre felt unusually cohesive. Shops were dressed for it, pavements were crowded but friendly, and conversations spilled from every corner.
One of the things that stayed with me was hearing from the volunteers and stallholders I met. They looked exhausted, but in the best kind of way. You get into a rhythm with something like this, and suddenly it’s just… done.
What stays
Emma Wadee, who helped lead the event from within Aberdeen City Council, put it simply: “They are leaving so many people with so many memories.” First Minister John Swinney, visiting the port on Monday, called it “an incredible spectacle that will be remembered for years to come.”
For a few days, Aberdeen felt unusually connected to its past, to each other and to a big hopeful future. Those benefits don't disappear with the sails. They stay if we want it to. Let’s not wait another generation to feel it again.
Before I go, POST is going to be a bit quieter over the next couple of weeks as we take a summer holiday. We're not going fully dark, but there'll be less stories and less social media posts. the newsletter will still go out at the end of the month though, so keep an eye on your inbox.
Thanks to our paid Supporter Crew and to Open Road for sponsoring POST over the past couple of weeks. We couldn't have done this without you.
Have fun x
