Tall Ship Festival – OpSail 2000

In 2000, OpSail came to Philadelphia. The flotilla of international tall ships convened in the Port of Philadelphia as part of the national millennium celebration. From June 23 – 29, over two million people came to tour the tall ships and watch the “Queens of the Sea on Parade” on the Delaware River. 

Braithwaite Communications worked with the OpSail sponsor organization, Gazella, to ensure that people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware were aware OpSail was going to take place on the Philadelphia and Camden waterfronts.  Despite heavy competition from the annual “Welcome America Celebration” held in Philadelphia on and around the 4th of July, the agency was able to gain significant media coverage for the tall ships.  Lengthy and sustained TV news coverage served as a powerful tool to bring people to the river.  The front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer as well as smaller regional and local papers all carried significant coverage of OpSail – including full-color photos and feature articles.

While the tall ships visited other U.S. cities the summer of 2000 – including New York and Baltimore – it was Philadelphia that gave them the biggest welcome.

OpSail 2000 is today still considered one of the greatest special events to be held on the Philadelphia and Camden waterfronts. 

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