City of Varna expects 500 000 tourists to witness the Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2014.  The event will take place between April 30 and May 27 2014  and will be held entirely in the Black Sea, with the following host ports – Varna port (Bulgaria), Sochi and Novorossiysk (Russia) and Constanta (Romania).

• Varna – 30 April to 3 May – Race one
• Novorossiysk – 9 to 12 May
• Sochi – 15 to 18 May – Cruise-in-company
• Constanta – 24 to 27 May – Race Two

The ships will be in Varna between April 30 and May 3 and the varna municipality is planning a series of events. Crew parade and award ceremony will be organised in the city centre. Also a Parade of Sails is scheduled for May 3rd, during which the participating sailing vessels will pass near Varna coast to show their grandeur and beauty.

Patron of the festival days in Varna is Rosen Plevneliev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria and of those in Novorossiysk and Sochi -Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.

Some of the ships will also be open for visitors. Up to forty tall ships are expected to take part in the regatta.  Only sailing vessels of more than 30-foot water line length and a crew aged 16 to 75 can take part in the race. Bulgaria will be represented by Barquentines Kaliakra and Royal Helena.