The Sail4th celebration of the country’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026 will bring the largest-ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world into the Port of New York and New Jersey. This will be followed by a week of FIFA World Cup matches starting on July 11 and culminating with the final tournament at MetLife Stadium on July 19, as well as celebrations across the city, including a Fan Fest at Liberty State Park and a Times Square takeover.
The organizers behind it all — Bruce Revman, co-host city manager, FIFA World Cup ’26 New York New Jersey Host Committee, and Chris O’Brien, president, Sail4th 250 — took the stage at the Skift Meetings Forum this week to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse and some advice for fellow event pros.
Both have core teams of about 25 people, which will flex up as the events get closer, but volunteers are going to be a big part of the planning. O’Brien estimates around 2,000, while Revman expects to bring in about 1,300 over five weeks. “It takes a village,” he said.
FIFA World Cup
The planning for FIFA World Cup started six years ago, during the pandemic. “In football terms, we’re in the second half with about 20 minutes left to play,” said Revman. “No surprise, it was tough here in New York City in the summer of 2020, and thinking about what you were going to be able to do six years from then seemed like a long way away. Fast forward, we have less than 270 days left.”
Security preparations have involved the states of New York and New Jersey, the NYPD, and all the government agencies: Secret Service, FBI, and Homeland Security.
“I feel very good that we’re not leaving anything to the imagination,” Revman said. “The stadium will likely be the most secure venue in the world when our matches happen. But whenever you do an event that’s open, you have fan engagement on both sides of the river. That’s where we’re putting a lot of our attention.”
FIFA World Cup has been facing issues around everything from access (the first tickets were just made available but only by lottery to VISA cardholders), to a petition by mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani demanding tickets for local residents at a discount, to visa issues potentially curbing attendance, to concerns about kickoff times because of the soaring temperatures at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup.
“I’ve learned over the last couple years that the interference or the noise comes from the places that you didn’t expect,” said Revman. “So you need to make sure that, on those things that you can control, you kick ass and do the best job you can.”
Sail4th
Sail4th, which will feature tall ships from 25 countries, has been operating under a similar timeframe, with the planning starting in 2020. “Unlike the World Cup or other big events that recur on normal schedules and cycles, we really re-create these events every time they happen, basically from scratch,” O’Brien said.
Security is a major concern, and he estimates that there will be 50 Navy ships in the harbor, where a typical Fleet Week event has six or seven.
He is also expecting 30,000 private boats to be out on the water. “That’s going to be a big security challenge for us. They all have to know what the rules of engagement are and where they’re not supposed to go.”
O’Brien has a similar philosophy as Revman about control. “These events are so huge and have so much momentum. You can use the metaphor of a large ship: It takes a long time to turn a ship that’s moving quickly. You need to make sure you have those systems in place so you can be anticipating and managing the issues.”
