Have you ever had a day that was only spent with ships and boats? I do not mean one ship or three, but a whole bunch of them, hundreds, to be able to give you a better picture of what I mean. They were all there, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It was the Sail Amsterdam Festival, and it is one of the biggest festivals in Amsterdam. It happens once every 5 years. The last one took place in 2015. The next one will be in 2020.

It is an amazing spectacle, and it is great to see so many classic and unique ships moored on the eastern harbour of the Amstel river. Tourists can visit these ships, get on them, look around and also take cool selfies if they are inclined to.

A little bit of history...

Sail Amsterdam took place for the first time in 1975, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam. Tens of tall ships and hundreds of other historical ships are involved. Numerous other ships and boats are present besides the participating ships, amounting to 10,000 ships and boats in the 2015 edition. It is one of the largest event of its kind in the Netherlands.

In 2015, it was a beautiful day to go and look at this festival of ships. People were out and about enjoying themselves making the most of the day. A festive atmosphere prevailed.

Sail Amsterdam took place for the first time in 1975, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam.

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Here are some pictures of the Ships and the festival that I took when I visited the festival in September 2015.

This masthead was one of the impressive ones that I managed to see.

Throughout the event, the city centre area was split into zones or 'Oceans', each hosting themed events. There's a lot do do on the ground if you aren't out in the water.

What do you think? A spectacle or what! The next event is in 2020, so you have time to give it a thought and go explore Amsterdam too!

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Excelsior! :)