Hartlepool Tall Ships: What visitors need to know

Thousands of visitors are expected to head to Hartlepool as the town hosts the Tall Ships Race for the first time since 2010.

The international event is a summer series held in European waters where ports along the route host festivals over three to four days.

This year, ships will sail from Den Helder, in the Netherlands, to Hartlepool, then back across the North Sea to the Norwegian city of Fredrikstad.

Vessels from around the world will sail to Hartlepool, with live music and entertainment planned across the festival.

Events will take place on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Hartlepool Marina and Victoria Quay, with exhibitors and a performance area in between the two and multiple stages across the event site.

North East band Maximo Park are headlining on Friday and The Wailers on Saturday.

Local and regional musicians including The Young 'Uns, Dylan Cartlidge and Amelia Coburn will also perform.

Pyrotechnic and firework displays are due to bring Friday and Saturday to a close.

The event is free and does not require tickets, although children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis and can be pre-booked on Hartlepool Borough Council's website until 09:00 on the day, and 06:00 on Sunday. Car park payments are card only.

Blue badge permits can also be booked online, with parking spaces at the Vision Retail Park National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool and Old Cemetery Road.

A park-and-ride bus service will run from Thursday to Saturday from 09:00 to midnight and 06:00 to 18:00 on Sunday.

The last bus will leave the event at 23:40, except on Sunday when it will be at 17:40.

Traffic control measures will be in place, including closures around the event site, a temporary permit zone around the Headland and a 10-15 minute closure at 16:30 on Friday at Northgate, Durham Street and Marine Drive, immediately west of Corporation Road for a parade.

Almost a million people visited the event when it came to the town in 2010, but it left the council with a £720,000 shortfall after its park-and-ride scheme made less money than anticipated.

But the authority said at the time it had still generated an estimated £16m for the local economy.

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