It’s been four decades since the first official Fleet Week took place in NYC, welcoming in military ships and their crews. Across Times Square and beyond you can expect to see uniformed men and women of the sea services (the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard) as more than 2,000 of them will be out exploring the city. This year’s theme is “Honoring the Past, Defending the Future: 250 Years of Sea Service Excellence.”  

Fleet Week NYC 2025 will be held from Wednesday, May 21st through Monday, Memorial Day, May 26th. The famous Parade of Ships kicks things off on Wednesday, with a procession of vessels heading up the Hudson River. 

During the week, ship tours take place on Manhattan and Staten Island. Throughout Times Square and beyond, you can expect to see uniformed members of the sea services (Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen) as more than 2,000 of them will be out exploring all the things to do in the city.

​​Courtesy Official U.S. Navy Page/Flickr

Fleet Week NYC 2025 Events at the Intrepid Museum

The center of the action is the Intrepid Museum, at Pier 86 on the Hudson in midtown. Public tours of ships take place at nearby piers (88 and 90, on Friday and Saturday). The Intrepid Museum features a full slate of activities from Friday through Monday. The first of the summer’s movie screenings on the flight deck takes place on Friday evening: Top Gun on a huge inflatable screen. Saturday through Monday you’ll find demos from officers, giveaways, crafts and hands-on activities for families, and live performances, including throwback shows by vintage vocalists America’s Sweethearts on Saturday and a 1940s Big Band Swing USO act by the Satin Dollz on Sunday.

Monday, for Memorial Day, the Intrepid Museum will host a wreath-laying, the unfurling of a 100-foot American flag, the playing of “Taps,” and a flyover by Navy fighter jets. The ceremony begins at 10am and is followed by family-friendly activities around Pier 86. Monday will also feature a U.S. Army Drill Team precision routine at 1pm and a search and rescue demonstration from the U.S. Coast Guard at 2pm.

Launched in 1943, the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid fought in World War II, surviving a torpedo strike and five kamikaze attacks. The ship went on to serve in the Cold War and the Vietnam War and as a NASA recovery vessel. (It was refurbished at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the mid-1960s to restore it to a state of peak combat readiness.) Opened as a museum in 1982, visitors today go on an interactive journey through American innovation and bravery.

The museum includes the Space Shuttle Pavilion, home to Enterprise, the world’s first space shuttle, which paved the way for America’s successful space shuttle program. Also on display are 28 authentically restored aircraft, including the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird, the world’s fastest military jet and spy plane, and the British Airways Concorde, the fastest commercial aircraft to ever cross the Atlantic.

Courtesy Intrepid Museum,

The Intrepid Museum is open daily at Pier 86, W. 46th St. & 12th Ave. For more information, call 212-245-0072 or visit intrepidmuseum.org.

Fleet Week Ship Tour Schedule

Manhattan, Pier 88 South
Ship public tours on Friday & Saturday, May 23rd–24th, from 9am to 4pm

• San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock – USS New York (LPD 21) from Norfolk, Virginia

Manhattan, Pier 90 North
Ship public tours on Friday & Saturday, May 23rd–24th, from 9am to 4pm

• Legend-class cutter – USCGC Calhoun (WMSL-759) from Charleston, South Carolina

Manhattan, Intrepid Museum, Pier 86
Ship public tours on Thursday & Friday, May 22nd–23rd, from 10am to 4pm

• Five U.S. Naval Academy YPs from Annapolis, Maryland

Staten Island, Homeport Pier – 305 Front Street, Staten Island, NY 10304
Ship public tours on May 22nd–26th, from 9am to 4pm

• Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship – USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) from Norfolk, Virginia

• Bay-class cutter – USCGC Sturgeon Bay (WTGB 109) from Bayonne, New Jersey
  Note: Located in the Stapleton neighborhood, a short walk from the Stapleton Staten Island Railway station or a quick ride from the St. George Ferry Terminal.

You can find more Fleet Week information here.

Military History Tour of New York Harbor

Classic Harbor Line and Turnstile Tours have partnered up to offer a special tour in honor of Memorial Day and the return of Fleet Week to New York City. The two and a half hour Military History Tour of New York Harbor explores the rich military history of New York Harbor, from the Revolutionary War to the present, with a focus on the harbor's role in World War II. Participants will visit significant military sites such as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Staten Island Navy pier, and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The tour provides a chance to witness active Navy and Coast Guard vessels participating in Fleet Week. Additionally, guests will hear oral histories from individuals who worked and served on the New York waterfront during World War II. The tour takes place aboard a comfortable and scenic yacht, offering unobstructed views of the skyline. Tour date is Friday, May 23rd and Monday, May 26th, $106.

​​Courtesy Official U.S. Navy Page/Flickr

For more information about Fleet Week NYC 2025, follow Fleet Week New York on Facebook and Instagram or visit nynavyleague.org/about-fleet-week.