New York Fleet Week Event Guide 2012
Fleet Week has served as an unofficial kick-off to summer in New York City nearly every year since 1984. Approximately 6,000 Navy sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen sailed into Manhattan this week for this year's event. This year, Fleet Week New York is one of the signature events around the country commemorating OpSail 2012, the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the Star-Spangled Banner. Here are some of the week's highlights. For more information, you can visit the Official Fleet Week New York Web Site.
Visit The Ships
Thurs. May 24 - Tue. May 29
Manhattan (Piers 90 & 92): Ships are open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Staten Island: Ships are open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Homeport Pier
Brooklyn: Ships are open Sat, Sun & Mon , May 26-28 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the coalition ships
A fun activities for families and individuals alike, New York will host several ships for Fleet Week, open for exploration as visitors will meet and greet our nation's sailors. Tall ships sailing in for Fleet Week are the Juan Sebastian de Elcano (Spain), Dewaruci (Indonesia), La Belle Poule (France), Etoile (France), Cisne Branco (Brazil), Cuauhtemoc (Mexico), Gloria (Colombia), Guayas (Ecuador). USS Roosevelt will be docked in Manhattan at Pier 90 and USS Wasp will be docked at Piers 92. All other U.S. Navy ships and the sailing vessels Cisne Branco and Dewaruci will be docked at Homeport Pier in Staten Island. USCG Eagle will be docked at Pier 90 in Manhattan. The USCG Willow and USCG Seneca, along with the coalition ships, will be docked in Brooklyn at the Port Authority Piers.
Marine Corp Day In Battery Park
Fri. May 25
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hundreds of Marines will be in Battery Park to meet and greet Fleet Week tourists and attendees. In past years, Marines have demonstrated weaponry, held pull-up competitions and posed for pictures with the public. Also taking place on Friday are USMC aviation events at East Islip High School and Forrest Hills High School.
Military Day In Times Square
Sat., May 26
9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Static military displays take place all day, with a Marine Corp Band performance at 2 p.m. and a Navy Band Northeast Jazz Ensemble performance concluding the day at 5 p.m. Other activities taking place as part of Fleet Week on Saturday are U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Air and Land Demonstrations at Eisenhower Park (East Meadow, NY), Governor's Island Family Fest and the Staten island Music Festival. For more details, visit FleetWeekNewYork.com.
Navy Helicopter And Marine Corps Air and Land Demonstrations
Sat. May 26
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Eisenhower Park
East Meadow, NY
This is a show that no aviation fan will want to miss! Catch the dramatic landing of a military helicopter squadrom at Eisenhower Park's Kite Field on Saturday. It will be just one part of a full day of Fleet Week events in Nassau Country.
Military Bands Perform in Times Square
Sun., May 27
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
More: The 7 Best Bars To Meet A Man In Uniform
The Marine Corp band will perform from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Navy Band Northeast Popular Music Group will perform from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Other Fleet Week events taking place on Sunday include Marine Corp aviation events at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and Playland Park in Rye. Also taking place Sunday will be a Staten Island War of 1812 Commemoration Event (10 a.m. at Ft. Wadsworth).
