As Alexandria prepares for a major waterfront festival next month, the Office of Historic Alexandria is seeking hundreds of volunteers to assist with four tall ship tours.
The city put out a call for volunteers to take shifts at the Sails on the Potomac waterfront festival from June 12-14, one of the city’s America250 events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A highlight of the three-day festival will be free timed tours of four tall ships — Swedish Navy warship replica Kalmar Nyckel, Royal Navy schooner replica Sultana, historic fishing vessel Gazela and Alexandria’s own Continental Navy ship replica Providence.
According to the Volunteer Alexandria listing, the festival needs 100 volunteers for each of the three days. Volunteer positions include checking people on and off ships, staffing the information booth and Historic Alexandria activity booth, helping with the event wrap-up and checking in guests to evening events. The festival requires working outdoors, but the city will provide cooling buses. Volunteers must be 18 or older and attend pre-festival training sessions held via Zoom in the evenings.
Volunteers will not miss out entirely on the tall ship experience — they will receive a free fast pass to visit one tall ship on a day of their choice.
Anyone attending Sails on the Potomac can reserve free 30-minute timed tickets to tour the tall ships. Other festival activities include waterfront fireworks Saturday night, the 48th annual ALX Jazz Fest, a 250th history village, a 250th history outpost, a food and drink row and an arts area.
