10e Sail Amsterdam 2025: United by waves

In 1975, Sail was organized for the first time in honor of the 700th anniversary of our capital. So, in 2025, it is time to celebrate again: 750 years of Amsterdam and 50 years of Sail. But that is not all! In 2020, Sail could not take place due to the pandemic, as a result of which the 10th anniversary edition was postponed to 2025. Will you be joining Sail Amsterdam from August 20 to 24, 2025?

History of Sail Amsterdam

The event was held for the first time in August 1975, during the celebration of Amsterdam's 700th anniversary, in a sense following the one held in 1913. First Dutch Exhibition in the Field of Shipping (ENTOS) in Amsterdam, where one could also visit the exhibited ships. The idea was that this would focus attention on the port and the city, and sailing ships were invited from all over the world for the 'Sail Amsterdam 700' event.

Following the success of Sail Amsterdam 700, another Sail Amsterdam was organized in 1980. To ensure the smooth running of the organization, the permanent organization Stichting Sail Amsterdam (SSA) was established in 1977. Since then, the SSA has succeeded in realizing an event almost every five years.

The ninth edition took place in August 2015. The next edition was scheduled to take place from August 12 to 16, 2020, but it was cancelled on April 21 of that year due to the coronavirus crisis. The tenth edition is now planned for August 20 to 24, 2025. These are milestone years for the city and Sail as well: 750 years of Amsterdam and 50 years of Sail.

During Sail, two bridge sections of the Jan Schaeferbrug temporarily removed so that the tall ships can pass. The bridge was designed at the time to make this possible. The two sections were removed for the first time during the 2005 edition.  

Visitor numbers

According to the organization, the first version in 1975 was visited by 700.000 people. In 1980, that number rose to 1 million, in 1985 to 1,4 million, and in 1990, according to the organization, to 1,6 million.

At Sail Amsterdam 1995, the number of visitors to the four-day event rose to a spectacular record of no less than 4,5 million, according to the organizers. The figure was questioned in the press afterwards: despite the approximately 1,1 million visitors per day, the city was not unusually busy, and merchants, fairground operators, and stallholders expressed dissatisfaction with their turnover. Furthermore, there were no reports of traffic jams around Amsterdam, and the specially opened car park at the RAI remained virtually empty. The newspaper calculated that the sheer number of visiting motorists alone should have caused more than 2000 kilometers of traffic jams.

At Sail Amsterdam 2000, the organization set another record, but this time with three million visitors. This record was achieved because the organization had subsequently downgraded the 1995 visitor count from 4,5 million to 2,4 million. The new record of three million was also openly questioned in the newspapers. On the Sail Amsterdam 2015 website, the organization has since further downgraded the 1995 visitor count to 1,6 million, and the 2000 visitor count to 2,4 million.

At Sail Amsterdam 2005, the number of visitors counted by the organization was 2,6 million.

According to the organization, Sail Amsterdam 2010 was visited by 1,5 million people, a third of the number originally presented by the organization for 1995. In the press, this number was discussed as more realistic.

This time, the count was established using a method in which the unique Bluetooth signal from the mobile phones of passing visitors was captured at strategic locations. It was assumed that the result had to be multiplied by seven in order to include visitors without a phone or without a Bluetooth signal.

For Sail Amsterdam 2015, the organization retrospectively revised the 2010 visitor count upwards to 1,7 million. The Amsterdam Tourism & Congress Bureau had estimated the 2010 visitor figure at 1,8 million. The organizer stated on the radio that a high visitor count was not the primary objective, but that they were taking into account a potential attendance of 2 million. In 2015, Sail Amsterdam once again presented itself as the largest public event in the Netherlands. Together with the municipality, the organization aimed for a more accurate visitor count, partly due to safety risks. At the end of the event, it was announced that the 2015 edition had attracted approximately 2,3 million visitors over its five days. Sail Amsterdam 2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic that broke out that year. With the newly announced measures, including a ban on large events until September 1, 2020, it had become impossible to organize SAIL Amsterdam 2020. In consultation with the City of Amsterdam, Port of Amsterdam, the Province of North Holland, and other involved partners, the decision was made to postpone organizing SAIL until 2025.  

Wind and Sails (1985)

Wind en zeilen is a song by the Dutch band Splitsing. It is the second single from their debut album Tijd genoeg from 1985 and was released as a single in July of that year. “Wind en zeilen” is about a man who has no desire for a sun holiday abroad, but would rather enjoy the Dutch summer weather by the North Sea. The record still enjoys considerable popularity today and is frequently played on Dutch radio stations. The record was also listed in the TOP 2000 from 2000 to 2005, most recently in 2005 at position 1803. Why go abroad when we have such a beautiful festival in our 750-year-old Amsterdam? Waiting ten years for this beautiful spectacle in our own country. Tourists come to Amsterdam specifically for their vacation. Video Splitsing – Wind en Zeilen (1985): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRKEStRd_t8  

<strong> More info: </strong>

Sail 2025: https://www.sail.nl/ NH Sail: https://www.noord-holland.nl/Actueel/SAIL Amsterdam Sail: https://www.amsterdam.nl/nieuws/evenementen-herdenkingen/sail/?vkurl=sail