Showboat CIRCUS Sunday, June 23. Shows at 1 & 4 p.m. on the showboat barge at Hudson River Park's Pier 25. Jen ShawJuggler Jen Slaw will be one of three circus performers.

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Old-time family entertainment, featuring circus magic with rope tricks by Chris McDaniel, the masterful juggling of Jen Slaw, and the goofball music of Ilene Weiss aboard a century-old covered wooden barge. Bowsprite
Image by Bowsprite

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Advance Tickets: Adults $13, Kids $10. Tickets at the door (when available): Adults $15, Kids $12

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John J. HarveyRetired New York City fireboat John J. Harvey has been recognized as a national treasure with a $165,000 “Save America’s Treasures” matching grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The grant will be used to make urgent repairs needed to stabilize the fireboat. The nonprofit Save Our Ships New York needs to raise funds for the match.  Make a donation at www.fireboat.org.

Opening Night Gala: Thursday, June 20, 6 – 8:30 p.m.

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Join NRHSS as we celebrate the opening of the Fifth Annual North River Historic Ship Festival and honor our 2013 Historic Ship Champion, A.J. Pietrantone, the former executive director of the Friends of Hudson River Park.

AJ PietrantoneWe are honoring A.J. for his work raising funds toward the completion of Hudson River Park and his support of events, such as our historic ship festival, that bring people to the river to learn about and enjoy the park and our historic waterfront.

At Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79 docked at Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 (N. Moore St. and the Hudson River in Tribeca).

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The North River Historic Ship Society, founded in 1994, is a state-chartered nonprofit organization that supports and encourages the restoration of historic ships, advocates for free dockage so that these ships can be open to the public, and it sponsors public programs.
What's the North River? "North River" is the historic name of the Lower Hudson River (from the Battery to the northern tip of Manhattan). It dates back to the 17th-century Dutch who called the Hudson the "North River" and the Delaware (along New Jersey’s southern shore) the "South River." Today’s professional mariners still call the Lower Hudson the North River.
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Hold Fast These Dates!
Thursday, June 20–Sunday, June 23
Fifth Annual North River
Historic Ship Festival
Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 in Lower Manhattan


The 106-year-old tugboat Pegasus and the retired NYC fireboat John J. Harvey delighted guests with free river trips at last year's festival.

Four days of special events include:

  • A gala reception honoring A.J. Pietrantone, the former executive director of Friends of Hudson River Park.
  • Free dockside tours of the steam-powered lighthouse tender, Lilac, the 99-year-old wooden barge Lehigh Valley No. 79 and tug Pegasus.
  • Free river trips on the world-famous and water-spraying retired NYC fireboat John J. Harvey and on South Street Seaport Museum's historic schooner Pioneer. The 106-year-old tug Pegasus will also offer river trips if her schedule permits.
  • Two circus performances on a covered wooden barge.
  • Fishing on the pier, river-critter touch-tank explorations and knot-tying aboard Lilac.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, June 20

6-8:30 p.m. Gala Reception honoring A. J. Pietrantone, the former executive director of Friends of Hudson River Park,
aboard Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79. 
Buy Tickets Here.

Schooner Pioneer
The historic schooner Pioneer, the flagship of South Street Seaport Museum, will take festival-goers for free one-hour trips on the Hudson River. Photo credit: Betsy Haggerty

Friday, June 21
4–7 p.m. Dockside ship tours. Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79, Pegasus and Lilac. Free.

Saturday, June 22
12–5 p.m. Dockside ship tours. Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 and Lilac. Free.

12 - 4 p.m. Free educational trips on the Hudson River aboard the fireboat John J. Harvey and the schooner Pioneer. Ticketing for rides aboard the tug Pegasus will be added once her schedule is finalized. Click here for free tickets.

Boat trips are free. However, NRHSS is requiring a $5 advance-reservation fee per ticket. This fee will be refunded in cash when you pick up your boarding passes in person at Pier 25. No refunds for no-shows or cancellations. A limited number of tickets for each trip will also be available on a first-come, first served basis at Pier 25 on 22 June at no fee.

Sunday, June 23
1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Showboat CIRCUS, Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79. Two performances featuring circus magic with rope tricks by Chris McDaniel, the masterful juggling of Jen Slaw, and the goofball music of Ilene Weiss. Buy Tickets Here

1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Fishing, river-critter exploration and knot-tying, alongside and onboard Lilac. Educators from Hudson River Park and the River Project will share local research and fun science activities for families to experience Hudson River wildlife.  Lilac crew will offer lessons in the maritime art of knot-tying. Free.

The festival is made possible by the North River Historic Ship Society in cooperation with the Hudson River Park Trust.
Participating Vessels

Ships at the festival

The four-day North River Historic Ship festival will feature activities on four historic vessels. Left to right: Lehigh Valley Barge #79, tug Pegasus, the steamship Lilac, and fireboat John J. Harvey. The schooner Pioneer will be part of the fleet for the first time this year. Photo by Milo Hess.

Vessels participating in the festival will include:

  • Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79, built in 1914 and the only surviving wooden railroad barge of its type afloat
  • The retired NYC fireboat John J. Harvey built in 1931 and a 9/11 firefighting hero
  • The 173-foot former Coast Guard lighthouse tender Lilac, built in 1933 and the last remaining steamship in the Coast Guard fleet.
  • The iron-hulled schooner Pioneer, built in 1885 to carry cargo, now carrying passengers on harbor sails. She is owned by South Street Seaport Museum.
  • The 106-year-old tug Pegasus, who spent her long career towing barges and docking ships in New York Harbor. She will participate if her schedule permits.
Festival Highlights
More than 6,000 people have participated in the four North River Historic Ship Festivals held in Hudson River Park since 2009.  Adults and kids, from West Side neighbors to international visitors, have come to explore antique ships, take boat rides on the river and learn how ships like these made New York one of the greatest ports in the world.  We expect another 1,500 people to join us again this year. Scenes from previous festivals are below.
copyright North River Historic Ship Society copyright North River Historic Ship Society
copyright North River Historic Ship Society copyright North River Historic Ship Society
copyright North River Historic Ship Society Clockwise from top left:  Learning about steam engines aboard Lilac; registering for free tours and trips at the North River Historic Ship Society booth on Pier 25; gathering near Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79; getting wet on fireboat John J. Harvey; starting out on a river trip aboard John J. Harvey, as tug Pegasus ties up to Lehigh Valley No. 79 a.k.a. the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge.