Spar Nord Foundation strengthens North Jutland's largest event
When The Tall Ships Races returns to Aalborg for the 7th time from July 30 to August 2, 2026, the Spar Nord Foundation will be back. The foundation is supporting the major event with a donation of DKK 650,000.
The Tall Ships Races is the North Jutland event that has attracted the most spectators over the years since it was first hosted in 1999. In 2022, there were 686,000 visitors. In 2026, many of the things that made the event one of the North Jutland residents' favorites will be back. Among them: open ship on the participating sailing ships, an extensive entertainment program and activities for children and families with children.
Of course, with some surprises added.
"The Tall Ships Races have repeatedly proven that it is possible to bring people from the entire region together for a big public festival along the harbor in Aalborg. The beautiful ships create a very special backdrop for the festivities, and we would like to support inviting everyone who wants to experience the atmosphere and the maritime activities," says Bo Uggerhøj, director of the Spar Nord Foundation.
"With the Spar Nord Foundation's donation, we can give the activities for children and families with children a boost during the event. At the same time, we can continue to organize North Jutland's largest event with free admission and maintain the quality level that our audience expects. We are therefore very pleased that the Spar Nord Foundation will be involved in 2026, and we look forward to a good collaboration," says Mayor Lasse Frimand Jensen and continues: "The Tall Ships Races is an important event for Aalborg. The event is loved by the citizens of Aalborg Municipality, it creates lots of publicity and generates high turnover in the city," concludes the Mayor of Aalborg.
Preparations for next year's big event are already well underway. At present, there are 23 registered ships. Aalborg expects approximately 70 participating ships and that 3,000 crew members will visit Aalborg. The race takes place between five host ports: Aarhus, Harlingen (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Stavanger (Norway) and Aalborg.
The purpose of The Tall Ships Races is to promote sailing among young people aged 15 - 25. The host cities are committed to recruiting a number of so-called trainees, young people who will have the experience of a lifetime aboard one of the ships, where they will participate in the sailing between two of the host ports. Aalborg will recruit 100 trainees who will sail the trip from Stavanger to Aalborg.
The audience can look forward to an extensive entertainment program and a multitude of bars and stalls to quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger. Aalborg is the final port, and there will be no shortage of fun and exciting experiences for guests and citizens of all ages.
A tourism economic impact measurement prepared by VisitDenmark in connection with The Tall Ships Races 2026 showed that event tourists spent DKK 97 million in Aalborg Municipality. In this context, event tourists are understood as guests who do not come from Aalborg Municipality and who are in Aalborg because of The Tall Ships Races.
