A fleet of Tall Ships will sail into Liverpool next month as the city plays host to the inaugural Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta.

From Wednesday 29 August, around 14 Tall Ships will arrive in majestic style on the waterfront, having departed from Dublin three days earlier.

To celebrate their arrival in the city, a series of events will take place, starting on Friday 31 August when the crews of the Tall Ships will take to the streets in a colourful and vibrant parade, before being presented with the race and port prizes.

During the weekend of 1 and 2 September the Tall Ships will be berthed at the Albert Dock and there will be street theatre, music and arts and crafts stalls. The vessels will be open to the public during the weekend, before taking part in a parade of sail on the Sunday which will take place from around 10.30am.

Six lucky trainees from the Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust will be taking part in the Regatta and to prepare for the challenge, on Tuesday 31 July, they will be put through their paces on board Liverpool’s very own Tall Ship, Kathleen & May. All six will be ‘going aloft’ which will involve climbing the ship’s 60 foot high rigging.

Welcoming the trainees on the vessel will be Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Sharon Sullivan and Peter Cardy, Chief Executive of Sail Training International – the charity organising the Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta.

Councillor Sullivan said: “To be the final destination for this inaugural activity is a coup for the city and all the events being organised will be a celebration of Liverpool’s strong and proud maritime heritage.

“Nautical events are always extremely popular, and we can guarantee people will turn out in their thousands to see these beautiful vessels taking pride of place on our waterfront.

“I’m particularly pleased that there is the opportunity for those just honing their sea-legs to get involved in this race, it will be an amazing experience and sailing back into Liverpool as a climax to the regatta will be unforgettable.”

Places are still available for trainees of any age to take part and anyone interested should visit www.sailtraininginternational.org.

Peter Cardy said: “Liverpool has a rich maritime history and has been a great friend to sail training which has helped to develop a strong willingness throughout the Tall Ships family to return to the city.

“We hope that the Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta could become a recurring fixture in the busy calendar of events that is enjoyed by the residents of Liverpool as well as the many visitors to this fantastic city.”

Peter Cronin, Business Development Manager at Albert Dock Liverpool said: “We’re thrilled that Albert Dock Liverpool is hosting Tall Ships. Before it was the leading tourist destination it is today it was a bustling port filled with ships.

“We’re very excited to get a taste of what the Dock would have been like then when the 14 Tall Ships are berthed here.