Set your sights for the Sail Yorktown Festival from Friday through Sunday, June 12 through 14 for three days of family-friendly fun with entertainment, living history, food, boat tours, free concerts and much more.
Events begin on June 12 from 9-11 a.m. with a spectacular “Parade of Sail,” an official Sail Virginia 2026 Affiliate Harbor event. Ships that will sail up the York River include Elissa, a three-masted 1877 barque based in Galveston that’s the official Tall Ship of Texas; Jamestown Settlement’s Godspeed, a replica of the small, fully rigged merchant ship that made the historic 1606-1607 voyage from England to what would become Virginia; Luna, a replica of an 18th-century colonial sloop built and operated by the Colonial Seaport Foundation; Alliance II, a schooner homeported at historic Yorktown, and Serenity, a 60-foot, two-masted gaff-rigged schooner currently based at Riverwalk Landing Piers.
Boats from the United States military, along with state and local agency boats will be docked at the Riverwalk Landing piers for guests to visit. The tall ships and some others will be open for tours.
Family activities
Activities include living history exhibits, military drills, firing demonstrations, children’s crafts, and roving entertainment. Visitors will also be able to witness the Maritime Throwdown — a competitive skills challenge — and participate in hands-on maritime activities.
The Vendor Village will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday through Sunday, and will feature special Sail Yorktown Festival merchandise and maritime-themed goods for sale, sponsor exhibits, and more.
Food
A variety of food trucks will be on site, along with a wine and beer garden. In addition, Historic Yorktown restaurants will be open during regular business hours.
Revolution on Main
Historic Main Street will come alive with immersive experiences from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, as Colonial National Historical Park hosts hands-on activity stations that invite guests of all ages to explore Yorktown’s rich past.
Each day, visitors can step back into the 18th century as the 7th Virginia Regiment sets up a living-history encampment near Swan Tavern and presents musket-firing demonstrations near the Nelson House, while potters at the Poor Potter site showcase traditional colonial pottery-making techniques.
Beach Picnic Area will be the site, on all three days, for artillery firings, living history activities, children’s crafts and activities, a “maritime throwdown,” live entertainment, paleontology exhibit and Civil War exhibit.
Battlefield
The experience continues at the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center and across the historic battlefield throughout the weekend. Artillery demonstrations will echo across the landscape, offering a dramatic glimpse into 18th-century firepower. There will be hands-on activities, Revolutionary War living history programs, and a Civilian Conservation Corps exhibit.
Mobile museum
Visitors can also explore the VA250 Mobile Museum, located next to the Visitor Center, to learn about Virginia’s role in the nation’s 250th anniversary. Ranger-led programs, numerous hands-on activities, and special exhibits will round out a weekend filled with discovery and historical adventure.
Live entertainment
The weekend includes a jam-packed lineup of live entertainment and free concerts throughout the historic area including performances by The Liberty Dolls, The Fifes & Drum of York Town, Corey Pavlosky, Audio Portrait, Lane Rice, Nature’s Child, Phil Poteat, the Colonial Singers, and more.
Three days of family-friendly fun await visitors at Sail Yorktown Festival, including:
- Parade of Sail — 9-11 a.m. Friday, June 12, on York River.
- Opening ceremony — 11 a.m. Friday at Riverwalk Landing Stage and featuring the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (the Old Guard) Continental Color Guard.
- Tall ship tours at Riverwalk Landing Piers — noon to 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Vendor Village — Food, event merchandise, and maritime-themed goods available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
- Revolution on Main Street — Immersive experiences noon to 5 p.m Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Music on Riverwalk Landing Stage — 6:30-9 p.m. Friday, Tiki Bar Band; 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Karissa Ella sings country songs.
- 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, musical performance by The Liberty Dolls; noon to 1 p.m. Libre Dance USA; 1:30 to 3 p.m. musical performance by Nature’s Child.
- Noon to 1 p.m. Sunday, The Liberty Dolls; 1-3 p.m. The Blayz Band.
- Concerts at Victory Monument — 7 p.m. Saturday, “Hamilton” is performed by Broadway star Lexi Lawson. At 7:30 p.m. the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra performs patriotic masterpieces; and at 8:30 p.m. experience “American Mosaic” by Peter Boyer, a multimedia presentation combining Joe Sohm’s photography, live orchestral music, and recorded voices in a moving reflection on the nation’s past, present, and future.
- 2-4 p.m. Sunday, the Williamsburg Classic Swing Orchestra performs Big Band classics at the Victory Monument.
- Other events extend to the Colonial National Historical Park and the historic area including the Yorktown Battlefield, Historic Main Street, Riverwalk Landing, the beach picnic area, and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
For inclement weather updates, call the event weather hotline at 757-890-3520.
