Fleet Week | Portland Rose Festival
June 5 - June 9
Free
Since 1907, visiting ships have made their way to Portland’s waterfront. The City of Roses is known to be a favorite port of call for military (and non-military) visitors, as Portland’s citizens thank them and make them feel welcome. The Portland Rose Festival is extremely fortunate to be one of a few U.S. Ports of Call for a courtesy visit from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy. Their arrival commemorates a relationship with the Navy that has lasted more than 100 years, and over 80 years of visiting Portland during the Rose Festival. It is a significant commitment by the Navy to make Rose Festival Fleet Week one of the premier Fleet Week events in the country.
Visiting Ships
The list of visiting US Navy, US Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, and other Fleet Week vessels, as well as ship tour schedules, will be announced in June, 2024. In the meantime, if you would l like to make plans to visit a Fleet Week ship, please keep these tips in mind.
Tips for ship tours:
- Bring your non-expired government issued ID
- Visitors will pass through an airport-style security screening checkpoint and may be subject to personal search
- Visitors must wear closed-toe shoes
- Large bags, strollers, and wheelchairs are not allowed on board, and there is no ‘holding area’ for personal items
- Do not bring any items on the prohibited items list
- Visitors must be physically able to maneuver on board, including climbing or descending steep/narrow ladders
Although Navy vessels are not ADA accessible, visitors with mobility issues may request a dockside tour by checking in at the tent near the front of the ship tour line.
U.S. Navy Fleet Weeks bring the Navy and sea services – and our service men and women – to the communities that support them. During Fleet Weeks, the public learns about the capability, importance, and value of today’s United States Navy. As part of Fleet Weeks, the general public gets the rare opportunity to visit and tour U.S. Navy ships, meet Sailors, and learn more about the Navy first-hand. In order to improve security and maximize citizen awareness and understanding of the U.S. Navy in general during Rose Festival Fleet Week, the Navy no longer facilitates general-public ship rides. The Navy instead facilitates ‘ship riders’ as a prioritized, invitation-only program focused on educating key community-sector leaders in local business, government and education who have not had prior exposure to Naval surface operations. Military recruiting and Fleet Week supporters are also included in this program.
