Operation Sail's 2026 America250 schedule lists New Orleans as its first port of call.
Operation Sail, often called OpSail, organizes maritime celebrations featuring tall ships, naval vessels, races, and public events. The 2026 program is planned as part of the United States Semiquincentennial observance and is expected to be the largest gathering of tall ships since the 1976 Bicentennial festivities.
The published schedule begins in New Orleans from May 28 to June 1. The fleet is then scheduled to visit Norfolk, Virginia, from June 19 to June 24, Baltimore from June 25 to July 1, New York City from July 4 to July 8, and Boston from July 11 to July 16. These dates reflect the planned 2026 program.
New Orleans is sometimes overlooked because the best-known America250 maritime events are scheduled around Independence Day in New York Harbor. The city nevertheless serves as the opening port in the listed sequence, before the ships move along the Atlantic coast.