NYC Braces For 6 Million Tourists Next Year During One Single Week–Here’s When

2025 is supposed to be the busiest tourist year yet for NYC with millions estimated to visit. And while there are of course some times of the year when tourism reaches its peak–like the holiday season–tourist numbers are spread out for the most part. However, next year millions of tourists are expected to head to NYC during one single week, so...you may want to stay indoors. Next year, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, and with that comes the largest international maritime gathering in modern American history. From July 3rd through 8th, 2026, the largest-ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world will sail into the Port of New York and New Jersey in what they’re calling the Sail4th 250 event. Throughout the duration of the celebration, locals and tourists alike will get to enjoy a diverse array of events, tours, shows, celebrations, and more that centered around the historic milestone. New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated: > As we prepare for the historic celebration of America’s 250th birthday celebration, New York City is proud to welcome maritime leaders and visitors from around the world to commemorate this moment. Highlighting the national celebration will be some 30 Class A and 30 Class B international tall ships, 40 gray-hull vessels, a British aircraft carrier, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, and an International Naval Review 250 (INR250) voyaging into the harbor from beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on Saturday, July 4th, 2026, followed by a fireworks show. The full calendar of events can be found here. And while the event is projected to generate $2.85 billion in economic activity, including a net new economic impact of $730 million to the city, it’s also projected to draw in quite the crowd–six million visitors are expected to head to NYC over the course of the six days, including more than 450,000 overnight guests. New York State Parks Commissioner Pro Tem Randy Simons stated: > As the State’s250th Commemoration Commission prepares to honor New York’s pivotal role in the American Revolution, we proudly welcome Sail4th 250 and its efforts to draw global attention and visitors. This historic international gathering of nations will be a powerful celebration of goodwill, cooperation, and shared history. Source: https://secretnyc.co/6-million-tourists-heading-to-nyc-during-one-week-next-year/