Your Complete Guide to Tall Ships Aberdeen 2025 Events

Explore ship tours, music, food and family events across Aberdeen’s harbour and city centre. For many, 1997 still stands out with masts filling the harbour, music in the streets and a city alive with energy. This summer, they are finally returning.

From 19 to 22 July, tall ships from around the world will dock at North Harbour. Nearly 50 vessels are confirmed, including crews from Oman, Uruguay, Peru and across Europe. Many will be open for free deck tours, including the Malcolm Miller, built in Aberdeen and returning as the official Festival Ship.

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A city-wide celebration

The festival stretches well beyond the quayside. Expect live music across three stages including Peterson Seabase, Transit and smaller pop-up spots. There will be hands-on science exhibits, street theatre, a family zone and late-night food and fairground stalls. The programme blends free daytime activity with big-ticket concerts featuring Deacon Blue, Calum Bowie and Ministry of Sound Classical.

The tall ships are the centrepiece, but it’s the mix of people, music, food and activity that will bring the city to life. Whether you are into maritime heritage or just curious about what’s happening, there is something for everyone.

Daily highlights and one-offs

📅 Friday 18 July 2025

Friday marks the arrival of the ships and the first full day of public access. The Discovery Zone opens with exhibits from TechFest, Macduff Marine Aquarium and Aberdeen Science Centre. Castlegate hosts acoustic music and roving performers, while the Transit Stage features early sets from Ross T Graham and Elphen.

The fairground on King Street also opens Friday, with rides, games, food vendors and pop-up acts continuing throughout the weekend. Deacon Blue headline the first of four Quayside Concerts at the Peterson Seabase Yard, joined by Brooke Combe and Little Kicks. Early visitors might also catch the quietest deck tours of the whole weekend.

📅 Saturday 19 July 2025

Saturday is the busiest day for music, with full line-ups on both the Peterson and Transit Stages. Performers include Iona Fyfe, AiiTee, Jackill, and the Aberdeen Youth Jazz Ensemble. The Family Zone at Blaikie’s Quay is open from 10am to 5pm, featuring crafts, performances and a huge sandpit.

At Union Terrace Gardens, a military village brings interactive displays and a life-sized Chinook replica. The Discovery Zone continues throughout the day, and food traders stay open late into the evening across the site.

📅 Sunday 20 July 2025

Sunday begins with a gentler pace. Acoustic sets and community choirs feature in the morning, with Phoebe Inglis-Holmes and The Vintage Girls on the Transit Stage later in the day. Castlegate hosts circus artists and street theatre.

Sunday night’s Quayside Concert features Ministry of Sound Classical, Paul Oakenfold and Look Busy Collective. King Street’s fairground remains open until late, and the Maritime Museum offers a quieter look at Aberdeen’s nautical history.

📅 Monday 21 July 2025

Monday wraps up the festival’s main programme. Ship visits continue, along with children’s activities and Castlegate’s final mix of pop-up performances. There’s still plenty happening before the long weekend winds down.

The biggest concert of the day takes place at the Quayside, with Kaiser Chiefs, Glasvegas and The Capollos taking the stage. Calum Bowie also performs as part of the programme. Tickets are donation-based, supporting the RNLI, whose lifeboat station remains active at the harbour.

📅 Tuesday 22 July 2025

The final day of the festival, with events running from 9am to 3pm. The Parade of Sail takes place late morning into early afternoon, as the tall ships begin to undock and depart. There is still live music on both main stages, a curated market, food stalls and roaming performers along the quayside. It is a final chance to enjoy it all before the sails go up.

Why it matters

The Tall Ships Races are a big moment for Aberdeen. They bring people into the city in huge numbers and show off what the place can do when it pulls something ambitious together. With over half a million visitors expected across five days, this is set to be Aberdeen’s biggest public event in decades. It’s a rare chance to see the city’s harbour, streets and open spaces used in full by locals, visitors, families, artists, crews and volunteers.

The scale of the event, and the mix of free and ticketed activity, shows what Aberdeen can do when it pulls together. It also encourages people to look again at what the city offers, from its cultural venues to its coastline. Whether it marks a turning point or simply stands out in memory, it’s a reminder of what’s possible here.