Fifth Annual North River
Historic Ship Festival

Thursday, June 20–Sunday, June 23

Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 in Lower Manhattan

Four days of special events include:

• A gala reception honoring A.J. Pietrantone, the former executive director of Friends of Hudson River Park.
• Free dockside tours of the steam-powered lighthouse tender, Lilac, the 99-year-old wooden barge Lehigh Valley No. 79 and tug Pegasus.
• Free river trips on the world-famous and water-spraying retired NYC fireboat John J. Harvey and on South Street Seaport Museum’s historic schoonerPioneer. The 106-year-old tug Pegasus will also offer river trips if her schedule permits.
• Two circus performances on a covered wooden barge.
• Fishing on the pier, river-critter touch-tank explorations and knot-tying aboard Lilac.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• Thursday, June 20
  6-8:30 p.m. Gala Reception honoring A. J. Pietrantone, the former executive director of Friends of Hudson River Park,  aboard Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79.
  Buy Tickets Here.

• Friday, June 21
  4–7 p.m. Dockside ship tours. Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79, Pegasus and Lilac. Free.

• Saturday, June 22 

  12–5 p.m. Dockside ship tours. Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 and Lilac. Free.12 – 4 p.m. Free educational trips on the Hudson River aboard the fireboat John J. Harvey and the schooner Pioneer. Advance reservations for free boat trips on Pioneer and John J. Harvey have sold out.

  Additional tickets for each trip will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at Pier 25 on 22 June beginning at 11:30 a.m.

  River trips aboard 106-year-old tug Pegasus will be added if her schedule permits. We will send out email notices if additional trips become available. Click here to join our email list.

• Sunday, June 23 

  1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Showboat CIRCUS, Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79. Two performances featuring circus magic with rope tricks by Chris McDaniel, the masterful juggling of Jen Slaw, and the goofball music of Ilene Weiss. Buy Tickets Here
  
  1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Fishing, river-critter exploration and knot-tying, alongside and onboard Lilac. Educators from Hudson River Park and the River Project will share local research and fun science activities for families to experience Hudson River wildlife.  Lilac crew will offer lessons in the maritime art of knot-tying. Free.

The festival is made possible by the North River Historic Ship Society in cooperation with the Hudson River Park Trust.