SAIL

my first sail event and unfortunately wasn’t able to make it there till the weekend, when it’s crazy busy. If you don’t like crowds i recommend exploring during the week. I’ve never seen the water so busy with boats and it was fun to be in the middle of all of it on a boat. I only wish I could have seen the fireworks but maybe in 5 years i’ll be able to see it… hehe. (this event only happens every 5 years).
I heard there are plenty of events happening throughout the area (live music etc) and lots of great food. I wasn’t able to explore all that but i definitely enjoyed and preferred watching everything happen from the water. i’m not much for huge crowds. If you happen to be lucky enough to be in amsterdam when this event happens it’s worth a gander!

A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G.
I always say I didn’t choose the boat life, the boat life chose me. And that my friend is the most accurate truth of all time. I used to hate boats (well, i didn’t care for them) and now I’m all for it!
I have wanted to come to this event for years now, but since it only happens every 5 years and I moved to Amsterdam 4 years ago, I had to wait quite a bit. I live right in the «Orange ocean», IJ-​Haven, so I really couldn’t ignore the event at all. I complained about the noise quite a bit during the first day, but by the time the ships left I missed having strange people staring into my apartment from a huge colombian ship, you know the feeling?
Boy, the horns from tall ships are loud. But they are so beautiful that you just don’t care — even if you jump out and your drink spills everywhere every time they go off. Don’t hold babies during the fireworks show, because ALL the boats sound off their horns right after!
The SAIL is a huge maritime event that happens in Amsterdam every 5 years, and this year it started on the 19^th of August. Although the name of the event is SAIL, no one actually sails. This is the largest public event in the Netherlands, and tall ships come from all around the world to moor in Amsterdam’s eastern harbour, and they open to public visits.
The first day of the event is called SAIL-​In. All the tall ships arrive and people do what they can to get a glimpse of them sailing in…
The event was amazingly organised and CLEAN. And I mean you could probably lick the floor (although you PROBABLY shouldn’t). Hundreds of people volunteered to work during the days of the event and they cleaned everything and were super helpful to everyone! All of them quite young, how cute is that?
There were a looot of food trucks everywhere, looking pretty and with great food and drinks! The creativity for the food and drinks was amazing, not too shabby! You could get fancy cocktails, finger food, and anything you can think of.
I visited all the boats, and that took me all day, all my will power, my blood and tears & sweat. There are big lines so go during the days that are on weekdays, and try to go early for more peace, or later on (watch out for closing times from the sips) so you can stay for the fireworks and horns show.
If you are in The Netherlands during SAIL time, COME! If you have a trip to amsterdam schedule to around that time, make SURE you can make it. You will never forget the experience. If you have a kid, they will flip out! There are a great number of mini-​events and activities just for kids. This time they even had an artificial beach built on a fake island (they build in front of my apartment and took daaays of lots of noise) just for the kids!

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy SAIL as much as I wanted to, but watching Pirates of the Caribbean with a live orchestra on Sail Marina was an amazing experience. The boats sailing behind the marina were the perfect touch for the event, and the fireworks at the end were some of the best I’ve ever seen.
The event takes place every five years, when boats and tall ships from all around the world anchor in Amsterdam’s ports for around five days. Unmissable event!

It was grand. It was epic. It was a spectacle to behold. It was exciting to see the largest of them slowly, majestically, silently glide in. The sailing ships were and are impressive. It was fun to be out in the harbor among all the boats full of revelers and watch the fireworks. Only five more years until the next one.

Amsterdam has so many festivals all year, but especially in the summer. This festival is extra special because it is once every FIVE years. Yes, five! So, if you are in the area, you have to do something with SAIL.
I attended the Pop-​Up restaurant (
) for the SAIL IN which was amazing, but really over the 5 days there are a bunch of things going on. Music and themed events on Java-​Eiland, Noord, especially on the NDSM area and more. There is a website, and a schedule, so be sure to grab one if you see it!
Oh, and fireworks! There are fireworks each night! There is so much more to this festival that I don’t even know about because I was happy just to watch the ships come into the Amsterdam harbor, and to leave again. It’s a free festival that you can spend with friends and spend no money, or you can attend special events and get a VIP treatment. The pop-​up shops and restaurants are great to visit. And there are food and drink trucks around if you want to grab a bite to eat.
I can’t believe we have to wait another 5 years for this!